Fall or Fly 2: Carry You Home
by KikaKatTIOI
Summary: (Sequel to Fall or Fly) Fillien and Karai sat next to each other looking up at the stars. It had been a while since they felt peace like this. But it can only last for so long. One hope that they had was that in the end, they'd find their place, and perhaps carry each other there. Chapter 31 up! Hiatus until end of August (maybe)
1. Intro

**GUESS WHO'S BACK FOR SOME TOTALLY AWESOME, FRIENDSHIP DRAMA AND HIGH FLYING ADVENTURES.**

**ME!**

**Gosh, Thesis was crazy, and traveling around was even crazier. But now it's time to get down to beezzwax- I mean business.**

**To you new readers, Hi! I'm Kika and what are you doing here? Go to the previous installment, titled Fall or Fly. At least so that this story will make sense. I'll try and recap the best I can in the first chapter. But... you should probably read the first story. Sooooo worth it. You'll have something to read as I update weekly. Yep, that's right. Weekly updates! Maybe shorter.**

**As for my returning readers, you can read the first chapter right NOW! Yep. I don't have to introduce any new characters so I thought why not go straight into it.**

**Anyway, this part of the story is gonna get darker... as if it wasn't already dark enough! But the same Fillien and Karai adventures and shenanigans will be there I promise. Can't have Fall or Fly without it. I will also try and be more careful with typos and grammar. And want to work harder on representing poc, lgbtq+, and mental health accurately. I went back and read some of the chapters in the past story and i cringed... hard. I will probably go back and rewrite them if I have time. And you're going to LOVE the villain. **

**Anyhoo that's that. Get reading! go, go, go!**


	2. Chapter 1

**How about we get right into it. Eh?**

**And for my previous readers you'll notice some beautiful new transitions…. I love writing new stories you get a refreshing start.**

**And you know the drill…..**

**(This means translation)**

**Preferable song to listen to. "Wind in My Hair" by Mandy Moore**

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_**BEGINNING OF PART 2**_

**CHAPTER 1**

The streets of Shibuya were busy as ever. Even if it was night and some had left work for home, it was still the perfect cover for anyone who wanted to hide. Especially a group of ninjas. Dressed in black, bug-eyed masks, and red bands over the head, the group moved stealthily in the dark. Up front, leading the group, was a girl with short, neck length pitch black hair. Her role as high rank visible by the amount of silver armor she had compared to the others. The only thing covering the lower half of her face was a silver mouthpiece, leaving her sharp amber eyes showing. She stopped at the edge of one roof to look back and check on the others. All were following close behind. Except for one.

The girl rolled her eyes and as the followers stopped next to her, she held up a hand. "Randebū de aimashou. Iki nasai," **(I'll meet you at the rendezvous point. Go**.) At first, the waiting ninjas looked back between the slow one in their group one roof back. The slow ninja was distinct from the others with a weapon strapped to their back. A staff that had a sharp knife on one end and a chain on the other. Seeing the slow one wouldn't catch up in time, they waiting ones all jumped forward to the next roof.

The slow ninja ran as fast as they could, trying to keep up. As soon as they reached the edge of the roof to meet the others on the next, they jumped. But it was a faulty calculation. They found themselves falling short six feet from the edge of the next roof. They weren't going to make it! But before they could prepare to meet their end, they felt a hand grab her wrist. The ninja hung there, several hundred feet over the ground, looking up at the girl that had saved her. "Thank you, Karai." Said the ninja, a girl also, with a hint of a beautiful French accent.

Karai replied, in an almost perfect American accent, "Make sure your feet aim for the building you are jumping towards, Fillien." She pulled Fillien up to stand on the roof, giving the slow girl time to breathe. If she could.

"Ugh…" Fillien grumbled as she reached for her mask and pulled it off to reveal her almost sweaty face. She was glad she didn't wear makeup tonight. As she pulled back her brown hair with a small part dyed green into a bun, she said, "Can we make breathable masks? It will make the patrols less of…. A nuisance."

"I think the word annoying is better for that sentence." Karai pulled her own metal mouth mask off to talk better. "And take it that suggestion to my father, then,"

"I can't just walk up to Shredder and say that," Fillien whined. "Can't you?"

"I can't keep helping you, you know. You got to learn to do things on your own."

"I'd rather we do things together. That way, we help each other."

"Hmm, if that could happen…." The Japanese girl faltered when they both noticed something bright high in the sky. They both looked up just in time to see a bright white streak across the sky before it disappeared.

"Wow! That was a…. shooting star right?"

"Yes. And you'd think the light pollution would obstruct our view."

"What did you wish for?" Fillien asked.

Karai scuffed. "I don't do those… make believe things."

"Well… if you believed, what would you want?"

Karai frowned and looked up at the sky. "There is a lot that I want. Where do I start."

"Me too…" Fillien said, frowning herself.

They stayed like that, together, watching the night sky.

**-))))))))))))))))) 2 Years Later. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (((((((((((((-**

The night was young, and the view was great. The mountain itself was still, but the trees rustled as strong winds brushed by. Suddenly something shot out into the sky from a grove of trees. A giant cat, as big as a lioness flew into the air. Large, pigeon-like, wings helped it climb high into the sky. Sharp lime green eyes focused on the target ahead as brown hair like a mane was pushed back by the speed of the wind. When it leveled out to grace the clouds, they looked back on their passenger riding on their back.

"How are you doing back there, Karai?"

Said Japanese girl smiled and nodded. She pushed back the locks of black hair going into her face, letting the wind brush back her short black hair dyed blond in the back. As she sat back to look at the sky, her pale, reptile skin, glistened in the moonlight. That, and her aqua green serpent eyes. A contrast to her red, scar-like, make up. "All good… Fillien."

Yep, Karai and Fillien, so different now than how they both started. And not just physically.

Fillien dove down gently, allowing Karai to grab on to the scruff of the cat's neck as she sat securely on the saddle. They came down the mountain at an angle, banking left and right. As they leveled out and flew over the treeline, groups of the indigenous blue monkeys poked their heads out from the canopy. One gave an excited howl see them. Fillien and Karai smiled and the cat girl pushed forward.

Soon they were flying around the middle of the three conjoined mountains, Kibo. Being the tallest, it was snow-capped, and the snowmelt ran down a river Fillien and Karai flew over. Seeing a very small waterfall, the cat got excited and dove down to it. When she spread her wings, she made an arc that had her fly through the water. Both got soaked and Fillien laughed as Karai deadpanned. Ok, so the snake girl didn't like that. At least it was refreshing. When they came out, Fillien shook her head and droplets flew into Karai's face. The girl held her hands up to block it and yelled, "Fillien!"

"Whoops, sorry," the cat girl said sheepishly. To dry off, Fillien made a b-line back the way they came, catching an updraft into the sky. As they got to the clouds again, Karai had a wicked idea. She reached down bellow Fillien's neck and began to tickle her. "Ack, Karai—no-  
arrêtez, arrêtez!" **(stop, stop!)** Fillien yelled, trying to sound annoyed but failing as she laughed in reaction. Her body also reacted. She just stopped fly and let herself plummet. Karai was still tickling Fillien, put the other hand no hung on tight. They were both still laughing even as they got close to the ground. When it was time, Karai stopped tickling Fillien and the cat spread her wings.

They leveled out in time for Fillien to fly over a clearing on the side of another part of the mountain. Shiva. Karai looked down to see beautiful white flowers growing in the field they flew over. With Fillien flying so close over the field, petals flew in the air. It left a white trail behind them as Fillien got high over the canopy of trees again. This time she continued on around the mountain. It gave them a view of the plains that stretched to the horizon on the east and a great view of the starry sky. They got close to the base of the Shiva were, hidden in some trees, was a shack. Fillien angled herself to fly through the trees without a scratch and then land on the ground just next to the wooden home.

Walking out of the shack's entrance was an elderly man with a dark brown complexion. He had on a red tunic, with one sleeve going over his left shoulder. On the same shoulder, all snug was a little blue hummingbird. The man's right arm was in a sling so he could only hold his cane with his good hand. A gold colored earpiece on his left ear glistened with what little light passed through the heavy canopy above. When he saw the two girls, he smiled and said in a West African accent, "I see the night flight was a good one, yes?"

"Yep!" Fillien said excitedly. "We passed by Larimar and his monkey family. Flew under a waterfall. And had a bit of a…. tickle fight." Karai got off the cat's back and shrugged sheepishly. Then Fillien stretched by doing a downward dog style bend. Then she stood straight, ruffled her wings to fold into place and stood next to Karai. "How about you, Jum?"

"Nzari. **(Fine)** Feeling better now that some pain has gone," the man replied looking at his sling. Having a bullet wound wasn't fun but better hurt then killed, right? He looked at his little hummingbird who was sound asleep on his shoulder "I think it is best you actually try sleeping this night. Tomorrow you'll have to leave early."

Fillien frowned, her wings slightly dropping a bit. "Yeah, tomorrow…" And Karai had noticed.

Which kept both girls up that night. Even if it was quiet in the shed. Jum wasn't snoring that night as he laid on his little bed. His friend, Larimar, the blue monkey, sleeping on a cozy tree branch just outside a little window. Malachite the hummingbird sat perched on the bed frame. On the ground, on a mat, Fillien and Karai lay together. The Japanese girl slept on her side alongside Fillien. The cat's wing was her blanket.

She thought about how Fillien had acted today. Shouldn't she be happy after everything that happened? Well, compared to what happened to Karai that is. Ok sure, she grew up misguided. Karai grew up thinking she was born into the Foot Clan. A group of ninja's almost as old as Japan itself. They were a group of assassins, but even though Karai knew that she thought it was for the best. The clan was revived after Saki was said to have been attacked by the head of the Hamato Clan, Hamato Yoshi. And Karai even believed the story that Yoshi was the one that killed her mother, Tang Shen, the night of the revival.

Thus this bliss made Karai into a killer Kunoichi, a female ninja, bent on destroying the Hamato Clan. And when she finally came face to face with her enemy in New York she thought it would all be over, but so much more happened. She found out through Hamato's followers, mutated turtles he took in as a family, that Yoshi was actually her father. And Saki was the one that killed Tang Shen. And if that wasn't enough to push her Karai to the edge, she got mutated into a snake girl trying to make the wrongs done to her actual family right. Yes, a snake girl, and more than just with eyes like one.

Karai raised her left hand and let it turn into one of her snake heads. It hissed at her before she forced it to mutate back into her hand. She didn't mind the idea of being a mutant anymore. A mutant mantis girl made her see that. But being apart from her father and turtle brothers was the thing that hurt, especially if she was a danger to them just being near. And that's why she thought Fillien had it better. Well at least now.

The French girl, a human back then, came into Karai's life after her parents were killed in front of her eyes for a set of magical rings. Forced to give up her dreams of ballet, her brother sent her to learn to fight in the Foot Clan to protect herself. Only Karai seemed to be the one to give Fillien the time of day, but back then Karai was detached and Fillien still had it hard still fitting in. A bad start yes, and it got worse from there. She was mutated into a flying cat trying to prove her worth. Her brother had also been killed. And in trying to be what the Foot wanted them to be, the two girls grew apart.

But Fillien never gave up. Her persistence helped because it made Karai realized how much Fillien meant to her as a friend. And Fillien was loyal to Karai every step of the way, no matter which side she affiliated with. Fillien's persistence helped her find out the rings were really magical. A group called the Griffith's League were trying to harness its powers to rule the world, having killed her family to get them. Fillien completed her family's mission and destroyed the rings, having traveled far an wide to do it. Which is why they were here in Kilimanjaro where it could have all gone crashing down if the leader of the Griffith's, Talbot had succeeded. It was peaceful now. Even Jum felt better for once in his life. Having been the one discover the tanzanite, lose the magical rings made out of it, and exile himself for it. He will be finally going back to his village soon. That's why Karai thought they both had it better than her.

But Fillien wasn't thinking that way as she laid her head on her for paws, her head looking away from Karai. Fillien thought Karai was doing better than her. She thought Karai had it better. The mutation almost made Karai crazy, she almost forgot herself. It's why they had to get out of New York. An alien raise that the Foot would sometimes work with finally decided to fully invade the big apple. Mostly because they had a thing against the turtles. But with Kraang hunting down mutants and people, Fillien had to get Karai out of the chaos. But Karai was coming into her own, regaining her memories and not going crazy if she remembered. Enough so that when Karai got home, she would be reunited with her family.

Fillien had no family to go back to. She would at least have Karai. But then there was the Griffith's League. With Talbot gone, would they disband, or come back for more? Did Talbot really die? Fillien remembered his defeat. He turned into a creature like her, more gruesome and hell-bent, with the power of the ring. With the help of Karai, she saw him and the rings fall into a dormant volcano. The only lava that can destroy what it created. With those rings gone, this problem was over right? Fillien thought back to her dream and even her memories of her loving family. They'd be proud. Yep. Fillien had to just think that. No matter what. They were proud, and it's all over. Yep, Fillien had to keep thinking that…. To avoid any more of those nightmares …..

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**A.N: And just when you think it's all going good…. Someone is still a worry wort. I have to actually rush out of here soooooo. See you next week! I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	3. Chapter 2

**A.N: Another chapter yay! Btw that TMNT 2012 art book is out! Anyone who is an artist should check it out, it's got some great behind the scenes stuff from the show. **

**Nightmaster000: And I'm so glad you're here too! Thank you!**

**Saibot: Yes! Excitement! So glad to see you here!**

**Enenra: I'd thought it best to separate the comments by person. It's a little more organized that way. And YES! Great to have you and Saibot back!**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

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**CHAPTER 2**

Fillien ran through the streets of New York. Even if it was foggy, the cat could recognize the familiar cityscape. She barely saw what was ahead of her. But she was more worried about behind. She looked back in time to see glowing yellow eyes pursue her. She heard claw scrapping the cement ground right behind her as the creature they belonged to got ever closer. Fillien unfolded her wings and tried to take off but it felt like her feet were magnets to the ground below. Only allowing her inches off the ground for her to just run. How was she going to get away from—

A loud roar came from behind. Almost as if she expected it, Fillien turned around to face the pursuer. But she wasn't quick enough. Fillien was pushed into a tackle. They tumbled until she felt pinned on her back. Strong paws were pressed to her chest as Fillien looked up. The mist cleared to reveal her attacker. A giant lion, double her size, with wings like that of a bat, triple in length. Lightning seemed to spark between its horns as froth dripped from its mouth. A strong, male voice came from it. He growled, "Courir après toi devient vieux, petit Lefèvre" **(Running after you is becoming old, little Lefevre)**

Fillien gasped, her ears dropped to the side a little in fear. Fillien tried to recover and quickly hissed back, "Sois heureux alors. Parce que tu es mort, Talbot. Donc je ne suis pas obligé de courir." (**Be happy then. Because you're dead, Talbot. So I don't have to run.)**

Talbot's nostrils flared as he raised a claws hand. "Tu n'as pas besoin de continuer à fuir, tu dis?" **(You don't have to keep running from me, you say?)** He said as his anger turned to amusement. Then the claws came down. She closed her eyes and looked away yelling, "NO!"

Fillien stood up in Jum's shack in a cold sweat. Her claws were out, hackles raised, wide-eyed, wings spread out and shaking. She looked around as she found herself far from her dream and into reality. Letting herself relax, body and all, Fillien walked out to see where everyone had gone. The sun was high in the sky already, so it seemed the others took advantages of the day. Including Karai. Fillien made her way around the shack and to the back where a small river ran down the hill. Filline jumped over it and walked a couple of tree lengths to find a small clearing where the sun showed through. There in the middle was a small garden. Jum was there picking beans and other vegetables. He said to her with a smile, "Good morning, Fillien."

"Hello, Jum," Fillien replied with a smile of her own. forced smile.

Noticing that, and her disheveled look, Jum asked, "Everything is ok, yes?"

"What? Yes, of course." Fillien raised her voice in false confidence and even trotted past Jum. "I'll be right back."

Jum nodded, still eyeing her as she crossed to the other side of the small garden and into the tees before he got back to work.

Fillien made her way through the forest until she was again in an open space. Just a little ways away was the edge of a cliff. Karai was sitting on a fallen log looking over the scene. Fillien went to sit next to her before she took in the sight. At night the sky was the best thing to see, but in the day it was the land that held the beauty. There wasn't another mountain for miles. A huge reserve in front of them with stretches of green grass all the way to the horizon. A lake in the distance and a dry grassy spot to the north seemed to be the only change in color. The clouds were moving. The storms were about to come in, the first having been the night of Talbots defeat. The thought brought back memories of the fight as well as the nightmare, making Fillien physically shake herself off the thoughts. Karai noticed and asked, "Ok?"

"Yes, fine," Fillien forced herself to smile again. This time she was a bit annoyed because of the constant questions today.

Karai caught on. "Same dream again?"

Fillien grunted and looked away. It had been three days since the battle in the mountain. Even if all signs pointed to the end of the Griffith's League, Fillien's nightly dreams felt like otherwise. They always started the same and ended the same. Thankfully Jum didn't know but Karai seemed to be quick. Her mind really was doing better. "How did you know?" Fillien asked.

Karai pointed to herself and smirked. "Queen of…. Nightmares."

Fillien shook her head but smiled. Karai kept her smile but looked on. Before she found out about her true family heritage, Karai was sometimes plagued by dark dreams of being in a fire. A woman and a man screaming in the distance. Later she found out it was a distant memory of when Tang Shen was killed. The Nightmares stopped all at once when she moved to New York with the Foot Clan, then came back when she was on the verge of finding out the truth. After her mutation, she had more dreams than nightmares. There was one occasional dream that was the oddest of them all.

Her father, Splinter, always in a hue of blue, watching over her. There always seemed to be a conversation between them, a full-on talk without Karai hissing on her S's. But when she woke up, there was barely a recollection on what was actually spoken. Something about… going back?

Karai shook her head and looked to Fillien who had gazed into the distance for too long. Enough about the snake girl, time to help the cat. "About Talbot?" Karai asked.

"Yeah…" Fillien answered defeated. "I mean, I know it's crazy to think it but what if he survived?" Karai gave her a raised eyebrow. "Ok, ok, that's a stretch. But what if the League comes together again? Or that bear mutant?"

Karai's nails dug into the side of the log she was sitting on. Talbot had a company with him in the final battle. Though the humans were easy to scare off, the mutant bee-bear Talbot had hired for extra muscle was harder. Fillien saved him from falling into the ground that almost caved out below his feet. But after that, when Talbot went batshit with power, the bear ran off. Maybe that's what Fillien needed to relax. Reassurance. "Maybe going back… could wait?"

Fillien looked at Karai surprised. "Are you sure?"

Karai nodded, then said, "Patrol at Sssssunset?"

Fillien snickered. "Just like old times, then."

Jum was picking the last of the veggies when the two girls came up to him and his garden. He stood up and said, "I will make you a great big lunch with all that I collect. Best you have full bellies before you leave."

"Um, actually Jum…" Fillien began.

Jum looked at them curiously, wondering why the two girls were nervous. Jum tried to piece it together. Were they not hungry? Did they want to leave now? Oh no—they didn't want to leave yet. Jum sighed. "Come."

At the little river behind Jum's home, the three went to clean the pick of the day. Jum washed, Karai dried them off with a rag and then handed them to Fillien to organize them into a basket. But she had trouble. Using her mouth to move things, she couldn't move the beans. Jum then said, "Fillien, since you two will be staying for a while now, we have more time to gather food. We live along the rainforest here, but the moorlands higher up have a special tree that grows with edible bark. It's the only tree with a grey trunk."

"Ok, got it, I can do that," The cat said.

"Larimar, take over for her."

The Monkey jumped out from the trees above and grabbed the food from Karai. Fillien scuffed, "Lucky, you have fingers." Larimar took a bean and threw it at her. "Ow!" she squeaked as it hit her sharply in the nose. "Ok, ok," She laughed before taking off.

When the cat girl was gone, Jum suddenly began to speak to Karai. "You know, I had a feeling something was wrong with Lefevre. It surprised me. When we first met, she reminded me of her father, Hugo. When he came to me, asking about Creator rings, Hugo was persistent to end this curse." Karai listened intently. She wondered why recounting the story of how Fillien's parents learned about the power of the tanzanite rings would be of use now. Then Jum said, "His wife, Eloise, however, was cautious. But in a good way. Methodical. Like you. Just like they complimented each other, so do you and Fillien. But you have to find the right balance like her parents. The roles can be switched yes. You the persistent, her the cautious. But one can influences the other more than the other and both will never reach what they need."

Karai seemed to understand what he was getting at. Problem was that Karai had no idea who was influencing who? Karai was influencing Fillien, or Fillien influencing her? And about what? She wondered about this the whole time she helps bring the baskets of veggies into the shed. Even as Fillien came back with the bark Jum had asked for, Karai was distant minded as she sorted the bark into shelves.

But once sunset came Karai forgot all about it. It was patrol time. Fillien took to the sky as Karai ran on a small path. Fillien surveyed the area from above but often times looked to Karai down below. The girl was doing well. Often she would turn into her snake form just to gain speed to keep up with Fillien. But it didn't feel like a patrol. At least not yet. Karai looked at the trees. She envisioned buildings with large air vents in the roof and fire escapes built into the side. That's what she was missing! Karai, in her human form, climbed up a tree until she was on a strong enough branch to leap off of. She jumped to the next tree, then the next. And more.

Fillien smiled, seeing how Karai occasionally would do a trick or two mid-air. 360 spins. Grabbing a branch. Swinging herself around to gain the moment before she leaped to the next tree. Fillien decided to fly low alongside Karai as she jumped from tree to tree. As she kept jumping, Karai yelled, slightly out of breath, "Roof hopping!"

"Yeah! Just like old—" Fillien felt her face slam into something hard. Karai had managed to jump to the next tree by then but looked back to see Fillien had flown into a tree. Lightheaded the cat didn't realize she was falling backward until she felt her back hit something hard. "Ow…" Karai watched her fall to the ground in an almost comedic manner. It made Karai laugh to the point she had to stand and lean against the tree trunk to avoid doubling over in laughter. All of a sudden, though no one noticed, Karai's scale white skin turned to her original light golden-beige. Her eyes were amber and human-like. She even said in a full sentence, "I can't believe it! It really is like old times, ahahha!"

Fillien sat up, her eyes trying to adjust, as she said, "Ya, ya, go ahead and laugh." A tree branch breaking in the undergrowth next to Fillien forced her to focus at once. Her vision cleared, she stood up on all fours and looked with intent at a large brush patch a couple of yards downhill. Karai noticed Fillien's behavior and she herself jumped down to the ground to get a better look. Her eyes went back to their serpent aqua green and her skin white with scales. She ran up to stand next to Fillien. This was it. This is what they came out here to do. Patrol always meant there was going to be danger.

Karai ran to get to the bush Fillien was facing. But Fillien put a wing out to stop her and said, "Wait! We don't know what it is."

"Bear-mutant—"

"Stop…. it could be a Griffith League member… or an animal."

Noticing the bushes rustle, Fillien and Karai became tense. Once a furry snout was visible, both yelled, "Show yourself!"

The furry snout was followed by a face with large ears and a slim body. A long tail and strong legs had fins growing out. Fillien's wings dropped as Karai cocked her head to the side in wonder. "Wimbi?"

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**A.N: So a like three chapters then we go back to New York. Just want to have a little character development before the action. And I have something in mind for Wimbi in the future. Oh yeah, Wimbi's back! And we had a little nostalgia for all the early readers out there with sunset patrol ahahah. More soon. Let's try and make it for Sunday update though. Yeah, Sunday updates so we have a little more organization. See you then, on my birthday day no less Lol! I' KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	4. Announcement

**Hello Everyone! I hate to do this so early into the story but I do have to say I have bad news (AND Good News! But read the whole thing!) **

**Earlier this week, one of my cats passed away. He lived a long good life but had a sudden heart attack he couldn't recover from. I tried writing since his passing but have not been able to write down one word of the next chapter. And I'm still grieving from not only my cat's passing but someone else close to me also passed away earlier year and I'm still recovering from that. **

**But the good news is that I will only be putting this story on hiatus for two weeks. I will be back July 7****th****. I just need a little time to collect myself. I'm KikaKatTIOI…. thanking you for understanding and hoping to see you again soon. **


	5. Chapter 3

**A.N: Hi everyone. Still kind of hard to put down stuff in writing but I wanted to come back as soon as I promised. I also don't have time now to individually reply to reviews but thank you all for your condolences and thank you all for your patience.**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

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**CHAPTER 3**

Fillien couldn't stop staring at the giant dire wolf hybrid in front of her. She couldn't believe it. Wimbi, the half fish, came all the way up the mountain. What for? To find Karai and Fillien. They had only just met this mutant a week ago when they were struggling their first days in Africa. He was just their guide who knew the lay of the land having not only lived in Tanzania but also raised by many of the animals. "Fillien, you are ok!" he yelled excited.

"I—I am," She said, still surprised.

Wimbi trotted up to her excited and stopped. His front paws kicked out in front of him like a horse excited. Then he seemed to want to do something as he leaned his nose in closer to hers. Fillien stepped back a bit shocked by the sudden close proximity. Wimbi's ears went low on the side as he stepped back and gave a sheepish smile. "That is… great. And so is Karai." He said suddenly realizing the snake girl was there.

Karai gave a raised eyebrow and smirk towards him as she waved and said, "Wolf boy."

"Yep, that is… that is me…" He said, amused at the nickname she gave him.

Fillien then asked, "Why are you all the way up here?"

"I heard rumors from some of the local animals. They said a strange storm had come over the mountain, around the same time that I had left you both. And then there were signs of seismic activity. Even though the volcano didn't erupt, some of the animals said that the craziest thing that did happen was that there was some sort of magic? I mean, I've heard of shamanism but never to the extent that is… why are you staring at me like that?" Fillien and Karai had slowly lost any excitement or shock of seeing Wimbi and just became rigid. Fillien the most. Wimbi's ears tilted at an angle as he said, "You know what happened, don't you?"

Fillien sighed, her head lowering in shame. She didn't want him joining them at the end of their adventure in the first place because knowing anything would have made him a target of the Griffiths. But it seemed the animals were good at gossip just like any person. Wimbi was going to want to know what really happened out here. Especially since weird stuff happened around the same time weird girls came to the mountain. "Come with me."

If Jum hadn't been asleep when Fillien and Karai walked in with a wolf-fish mutant, he would have been a little peeved for the little warning ahead. But he wasn't going to turn him away. The young Tanzanian boy was polite. Jum gave them all a midnight snack to eat over as Fillien explained to Wimbi what he had come to Kilimanjaro to find out. They all laid down around a bowl of baked beans as Fillien began.

The cat girl had already told the wolf about joining a group of ninja and how she changed into a mutant. After all, it was how Wimbi knew a little bit about Karai's history as well. But Fillien's family life and the Griffith's League had been off-limits for him in order to keep him safe. Until now.

"Havi kabisa…" He said after Fillien was done telling her tale, "I mean, I had a feeling something happened to your family for you to end up with the Foot Clan. The way you didn't talk about that part of your younger years gave me some clues. But to be killed like that…. Over the mythical rings of Tanzania… which are not actually myth…" He looked to Jum. The elderly man looked away in shame. Wimbi didn't blame him, but Jum still held a bit of guilt.

The wolf mutant looked back at Fillien. "I am so sorry," He continued. "I am sure if they were here right now, your family would be proud of what you did. I mean, you faced a powerful man and his group of lackey's many times. And in this final battle, even with all hope lost, you still fought back. You are…. Very brave,"

"Thank you for your condolences," Fillien nodded. Then she blushed, "And your kind words. I'm so happy to finally tell you. It hurt not to say anything."

"I'm humbled. But don't feel bad either. With or without knowing the extent of your story, I am just happy to see you come out all right."

"Wait, you didn't come all the way up the mountain to find out about what happened."

"I came to find out that whatever happened… that it did not hurt you."

"So you came…. Looking for me."

"Yes," Wimbi said in confidence. Then he looked around and added, "As well as Karai of course. You both have become great friends of mine." Karai rolled her eyes as she leaned back and looked at the ceiling. She appreciated the sentiment but she knew that was last minute. It was obvious he had come looking for Fillien. Karai had seen it all first hand. Wimbi was curious about Fillien right away when they first met. When it came to getting to know Fillien more, flaws and strengths, Wimbi really fell hard for her love to learn and understand the world around.

"Right of course…" Fillien finished before saying. "Well, now that you know, what's your plan now?"

"Well, I was headed back to the Serengeti when I heard the rumors and turned back. So I guess I'll just… head back. You can come with me if you want. Now that this is all over, you'll be going back to Paris… or New York. The airport is on the way back to the park so I can lead you there."

"Oh um… well…." Fillien began.

Jum cut in, "Fillien and Karai will be staying a couple of days until they are ready for travel."

"Oh," Wimbi said, ears up in surprise. "Well, my offer still stands." Wimbi began to get on his feet." I can come back in a couple of days and see if you are ready.

"You're leaving already?" Fillien asked sadly as she shot up on her feet.

"Well, I mean… I should. There is nothing I can do here now—"

"Who said anything about being of use to stay?"

"Well… I… I just… um…."

"Relax, young one." Jum said, "She is right. You can stay here. From what Fillien told me about you, you…. like to make new friends" Wimbi understood where he was going with it. Fillien told him he had no family. After all, Wimbi was taken as a young boy by the Kraang to be experimented on early on. It's how he knew English. But when he escaped from the Kraang as a mutant, he found himself rejected by society. Thus he could not get in touch with his family which is all he remembered form the time he was a boy. However, he was accepted more by the animals. They helped him relearn his birth language of Swahili. Many groups of animals became his family. This was the first time he was accepted by humans in a long time.

Wimbi bowed his head and said, "Asante (Thank You), Jumanne."

The rest of the night and into the morning was quiet. The sun rose and shined light through the cracks of the shed to show Jum sleeping soundly on his bed. Malachite the Hummingbird gave light sqeak like snores as she perched on the bed frame. On the floor mat, Fillien was asleep curled up with Karai laying by her side. As she woke up to the sunlight, she looked at the first thing she saw. Wimbi was just across from her, sleeping curled up as well. Larimar was sleeping on top of him. Fillien smiled, happy to see him still here. Then she frowned.

She was definitely happy to see him. Shocked at first and then flattered to hear why he came all the way to Kilimanjaro. But after telling him the whole of her story, she wondered if she did the right thing. The reason Fillien didn't tell him in the first place was to protect him. But did she have to continue to hide it? after all, she didn't have a nightmare for the first time I days. She just woke up without feeling stressed. Was Wimbi coming to her a sign? A sign things were going to be ok?

And why Wimbi? Again she observed the dire wolf mutant. His fluffy tail with added fin went up and down for a second before resting again. He was dreaming. It was… adorable. Fillien sighed. When Fillien and Wimbi first met, she had no clue. She just assumed he was nice. And yes he was but he always addressed the cat girl first before Karai. Fillien had an idea that he wanted to be more then friends. And after the second night together with Wimbi, Fillien kind of felt the same as well. He seemed so lost yet he found happiness where he could. It charmed her. But the cat girl brushed it off then because of the dangers following her. But now…

When everyone got up late in the morning, everyone went to chores. Jum had gone to the nearby Hiker camp to restock on medical supplies. Fillien was in charge of getting water from the stream as Karai started the fire to boil it. Wimbi came out with Larimar a little while later to a spot behind the shed where Karai struggled with getting the fire going. She tried to chip away with two spark rocks at a pile of wood. Fillien waited with the large metal put next to her. On seeing Wimbi, Fillien said excited, "Oh! Hi Wimbi. A good nap?"

"Yes, a long one. And you had a good one as well?"

"Yeah, the best in a long time," Fillien said relieved. Karai heard this and stopped chipping the rocks. She looked at Fillien with a raised eyebrow. Fillien shrugged, telling Karai it was true but she didn't understand how either.

Wimbi noticed he had let the chores go on without him so he said next, "Anything I can do to help?"

"Well right now we just have to wait for the fire to start. But…" Fillien looked sheepishly at Karai. The snake girl growled and let the spark rocks fall out of her hand. "We might have to wait for Jum—"

Larimar hopped in and picked up the rocks. It took two smashes until sparks flew into the tinder of the pile of wood. Smoke began to start up. Karai's mouth dropped open and she looked at Larimar. The monkey gave what looked like a grin. Then she looked away and muttered, "I hate monkies…."

Fillien and Wimbi looked at each other before laughing. The first time Wimbi saw Karai, she had been messing with some baboons. Hating monkies was and understatement for her. Fillien then helped Karai set up the wooden rack to hold the pot over the fire. Wimbi was awestruck at the proficiency, saying, "Wow, you both really know what you're doing."

Fillien explained, "Jum's pretty good at teaching us survival skills. And Karai remembers somewhat what she learned from the Foot Clan." Wimbi nodded. He was happy for them but felt useless. He started to wonder if he really should have stuck around. The dire wolf hybrid looked away, ears low to the side. Reading the signs, Fillien asked, "Everything ok?"

"Ye-yes…" Wimbi tried to say.

Fillien's wings ruffled nervously. Karai noticed and tried to think. What would make the wolf happy? She looked at Fillien. Well obviously being with Fillien but there had to be more. Maybe… Karai reached out and tapped Fillien's shoulder. "Hungry…"

"Oh, um… I'll go hunting then." She then looked at Wimbi and got an idea, "Or maybe not just me."

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**A.N: So Wimbi is finally caught up, which means it's time for some... character exploration. Again, still hard to writie so don't know what to say except see you all next week! I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	6. Chapter 4

**A.N: So…. After this update I'll have to take another hiatus because my friend surprised me this coming weekend with a Disneyland trip. YAY! For me at leats but yeah I'll be back in two weeks. In the meantime, Enjoy this update! It's all about the drama….**

**1freakshow: I'm so glad you love them!**

**nightmaster000: No worries, it's ok. I appreciate your condolences. I'm doing a little better thank you.**

**Siabot: Thank you for your understanding. Managed to put some words together and it's a good update today!**

**Enenra: Thank you both. I have an update so yay! Progress!**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 4**

Wimbi and Fillien took to the moorlands, going up the mountain but heading west. They found a clearing surrounded by some trees but also dry brush. It was enough for the mutants to know something was hiding around there. "We might be able to catch a bird or a rodent around here," Fillien said to Wimbi as they walked alongside each other.

"I must confess… I'm…. I'm not a good hunter," Wimbi said with ears dropping low in embarrassment. Fillien looked at him confused, head cocked to the side. Wimbi raised his paws higher as they walked. "I may have the feet for the hunt but with added webbed toes…"

"Oh… right. I forgot you had trouble getting on that truck. So if you don't mind me asking, what do you eat?"

"What the lions and jackals hunt down and share with me. And then I do some fishing myself."

"You fish?"

"I can teach you if you want," Wimbi said as his tail shook excited.

"Yes!" Fillien almost chirped as her tail swayed back and forth excited, "And I can teach how to hunt on land. Though I'll be honest. I've only just started to get the hang of it here. Dirt ground not the same as cement streets."

"You easily adapt well I'm sure you got it."

Fillien gave a cheeky smirk and giggled, "Thank you."

Then it got quiet between them. Awfully quiet. Both were thinking of what to say next. They knew what they wanted to say. Wimbi was just confused and didn't know how to start. Fillien was scared to get on topic. But it had been on their minds recently and they somehow couldn't let it pass another minute. Suddenly they saw a small bird land in the brush up ahead. Fillien raised a wing and put it on Wimbi's head. It got him to go down low, his belly almost touching the ground. Fillien did so as well. Then she whispered, "Ok, watch everything I do."

Fillien kept her wings tightly close to her side as she raised her body just a bit higher. But not too much so only the spine of her back could be seen over the edge of the bush. She smelled the air and then decided to circle around the spot the bird landed. She crept to the right. Wimbi watched as her body disappeared into the brush with only the top of her head visible from where he was. All of a sudden, she pounced. The bird on instinct flew. When Fillien landed where it once was, she didn't hesitate to jump again. She went high, using her wings to give her an extra boost as she caught the bird in her jaw.

Wimbi was so awestruck by Fillien's grace and strength, he barely paid attention to the final kill move. When Fillien came back to him, she put the now dead bird to hide behind a rock. Then another bird came flying in and landed a couple of yards up a small slope. Fillien motioned to Wimbi. It was his turn. He did exactly what she did. He got low in the bush, spine only visible as he crept deep in. He then smelled the air. Though he didn't know why Fillien did that, he did it anyway. Then he continued to creep. Trying to be as quiet as possible. But somehow the bird was still set off early. It flew up and away from him.

Wimbi panicked and tried to jump for it but he forgot he had gone up the slope to the bird. He slipped and fell forward, but his body began to slide back down. A yelp escaped him and he tried to get up on all fours. His weight backfired on him and then he ended up going backward on his back and continuing to slide down. Fillien, who had seen everything, had tried to got to help him but when she went up to the slope, he collided right into her. They went into a roll before they got to the flat of the hill.

Wimbi ended up on his back again but Fillien was now on top of him. Noses touching. Wimbi noticed the cat girl's shock and pulled his face back. "I'm sorry, I must have messed up."

Fillien immediately said, "No, it's not your fault." But then she thought about it and said, "We-well, a slight critique. You were downwind. The bird smelled you when the wind blew its way."

"Oh, that's why it flew away so quickly. And…. that's what smelling the air is for."

"Yep, to track the wind so the bird doesn't smell you first." Fillien then joked around. "I guess there is no wind when you fish below the water."

Wimbi chuckled, "No. But I still should have known."

Fillien giggled, "You'll get the hang of it." Then they realized Fillien was still on top of Wimbi. Quickly Fillien jumped away and Wimbi scrambled to his feet. They both felt embarrassed. Fillien had turned her back to keep him from seeing her reaction.

But the wolf boy had a different approach. Instead of trying to hide, he couldn't keep it back any longer. "Um… Fillien. There is something that… I've been wanting to talk about." Fillien had her back turned to him the entire time. But she listened with wide eyes as he continued. "In the animal kingdom, there is a different way that these… um… I don't know how to call it... Hot feeling?" Now Fillien was burning hot. Then Wimbi shook his head, "No, no… Urskadamus." He then cursed in Swahili as he turned around in circles trying to find the right words.

"I'm sorry," Wimbi finally said, "Let me start over." He took a deep breath and said, "Since we met, you were open to me, and hopeful, and brave, and… I don't know there was so much different about you. Maybe it's because you're also a mutant and we each understand our struggles. Then again, I've met your friend but Karai um… well, let's just say I don't feel the same for her as I do. What I'm trying to say is that…. I want to be with you….."

Fillien turned her head around to look at him but stayed where she was. Wimbi continued, "Among animals, it's easy to say these things because it's all about the circle of life…. You know… ensuring the future. But I want to make sure I'm doing this the right way because I know it's about… the connection at the moment. I have feelings for you…." Wimbi lowered his head but never averted his gaze from Fillien. His tail was still in anticipation of what she was to say next. But when she didn't do anything but stare at him for a good long minute, he became antsy. "Oh no—" He gasped. Wimbi raised his head and his neck hairs went up. "I said it wrong didn't I?" Then he completely dropped to the ground and covered his eyes with his paws and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I wish I understood how the humans approach it I-I just—"

"STOP!" Fillien yelled before he could say another word. She had turned her body around to fully face him. Wimbi sat up, quick as a dart, seeing the look in her eyes. Was she distressed? Fillien looked away, embarrassed, before saying with eyes on him, "You're so sweet, Wimbi. And very honest. You told me what you felt, even if you didn't know how. That's brave. That's why I have to tell you…" Fillien sat down and took a deep breath herself. "I've been thinking about how you feel about me. I might have noticed."

Wimbi's right ear dropped as he said embarrassed, "I am that obvious."

Fillien hunched her shoulders, "Yeah… but it's kind of adorable."

"You think so?" he almost piped, ears perked.

"Yeah," Then Fillien stood up and took a step towards him. "In fact it made me think about how I felt about you and… I really do like you Wimbi. What I said about you is true. Kind, sweet, honest. I like that about you…. Which is all the more reason I have to say… I can't be with you."

Wimbi's heart sank. For a second his tail was wagging and he was grinning. But then his ears went back and his tail dropped. He wasn't the only one feeling bad at the moment either. Fillien's wings noticeably began to drop lower to the side as she hung her head. "And it's not just that we can't be together. I don't even think friendship is the safe way either."

"But…" Wimbi began. He may not be able to be with Fillien but the thought of not even being her friend is what distressed him. "I thought we were having a great time earlier. Was that not what friends do?"

"Yes, but even if you hang out with me something always goes wrong." Fillien began to panic and ramble, taking a couple steps back, "I lost so much of my family and almost lost Karai once. I need to be with her to take care of her but I know you can do well on your own"

"Fillien—"

"You can stay with us but we'll have to part ways when Karai and I are ready to go back to New York."

"I…"

Fillien turned around, not being able to take the pain of talking to him anymore.

**-)))))))))))))))) Jum's Campfire (((((((((((((-**

Karai laid back on the grass, close to the fire so her cold blood would stay warm. The sun was starting to set in and Jum had returned with a new sling. As he served water for him and Larimar in wooden cups, Fillien had come with a dead bird in her mouth. Karai could tell she was distressed as the cat girl marched in, dropped the bird by Karai's side, and said, "I'm going to bed early."

Jum began, "But the skies have not changed color yet." Then he saw Wimbi slowly trudge in. Head low. Fillien didn't even look back at him. She just started to hastily walk towards the shed. Karai got up quickly to go after her friend to see what was wrong. Wimbi came and laid down next to the fire. Head on his paws. A sad look on his face. Jum asked, "Everything not ok?"

"No…" Wimbi sighed. Larimar decided to hand Wimbi his water by putting the cup down in front of the sad wolf. The mutant didn't even look. He just said, "I thought I would finally stop feeling anxious when I told her my feelings. She said I did what was good but…. Alisema alihisi uhusiano pia. **(She said she felt a connection as well.)** …Lakini kwa sababu fulani (**but for some reason)**… hatuwezi kuwa marafiki **(we can't be friends?)**" He said the last part confused.

Jum looked to where Karai went looking for Fillien. "Ninahisi kuwa hii huumiza haitaishi. Tumaini." (**I have a feeling that this hurt won't last. Have hope.)**

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**A.N: HAhhahab I'm so evil! Don't worry… believe in Jum and things may turn around. But hey the hunt went great… kind of. Well things will turn out good next chapter. See you all in two weeks. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	7. Chapter 5

**A.N: Sorry for the late update. My dad's on my case at the moment. He hates when he catches me on fanfiction so I got to do it in secret. Finally got around ti finishing this chapter for you all. Enjoy!**

**1freakshow: Don't worry, things will get better.**

**Saibot: Hopefully one day you guys visit. It's a blast!**

**Enenra: I have returned to end the drama!**

**I don't own TMNT**

* * *

**CHAPTER 5**

"Can't… believe…" Karai said, dumbfounded. She was sitting cross-legged right in front of the stream by the shed.

Right behind her was Fillien pacing back and forth with her tail twitching back and forth in irritation. "And Wimbi's so sweet, you know, like, after he confesses he realizes that it came so fast for me so he's apologizing over and over. Oh, it's so cute but I'm also shocked. I knew he liked me, but I was just starting to understand my feelings for him."

Karai gave her a raised eyebrow. "I mean with the League defeated I started to find time to think about some things and well I think I like him to. I admire his humbleness and kindness, and he really loves me back. But all the realizations are coming fast. That's not usually me."

Karai smirked and said, "Xxxxxxxever…."

Fillien stopped pacing back and forth and let her ears fall flat to the side as deadpanned. With a small growl, she whispered, "Ok, that was a shot, but point taken." She then went to go stand next to Karai. "I've rushed into love as well. It's what I do, and it's his thing, too." Fillien lifted her head and her ears perked up. Narrow eyed she said pensively, "Both Wimbi and I…. Wow… we have a lot more in common then I thought."

Karai nodded in agreement. She was certainly glad that Fillien liked someone who had both differences in between each other but also stuff in common. "Maybe… you sssssshhhould tell him…. Give you time… think." Fillien didn't have to say yes right away, especially if it's all fast. But if they were attracted to each other, and Wimbi was nice, she should try and give him a chance.

"Yeah you're right-" Fillien suddenly shook her head and went back to pacing back and forth behind. "No, no…. no matter how much I want to understand more, I can't be with him. For his safety."

Karai whipped her head around to look at Fillien. "Sssssafety? Now that was a red flag.

Fillien winced and froze mid-pace. "I mean, sake. For his sake."

"Ssssssafety," Karai repeated. She wasn't going to stop asking and Fillien knew it.

The catgirls sighed and turned to face Karai, feathers ruffled. "All right, all right. Safety. I rejected his call for his safety. I know I said earlier the League was defeated but… are they really? Talbot is. I think. But what if he isn't? What if the League decides to rise back up without him?" Fillien walked up to the stream's edge again. "I mean if my family couldn't stop them…" Fillien looked down at her reflection. It was just her own face, but what she saw was different. It was Talbot in his monstrous form, grinning and threatening everything she loved. "…. what makes me any different?"

Karai was hurt to hear Fillien so depressed, the catgirl even flopped down on her belly and let herself lay there with her head on the ground. Even her wings sagged a little. She felt like she didn't finish the mission. Or did she feel that? Or was it something else? "League gone…. You know…. Sssssooooo"

Fillien's eyes went wide for a sec before she looked away. No matter the nightmares, no matter how much she worried, in the end… she wasn't afraid of Talbot. She saw him go down, he can never come back. The League won't recover. But she was still doubting herself. "I'm seeing Talbot, but maybe he's a sign of the troubles to come. Remember I could barely protect you when you first became a mutant. And we still had enemies to worry about. I had to get you out of New York because I couldn't… help you there. I'm not strong enough."

As if she was punched in the gut, Karai almost lost her breath. She didn't want Fillien to feel this way, but Karai couldn't help but agree somewhat about their troubles. When they do go back to New York, Wimbi would probably follow. And there were a lot of bad guys waiting for them back there. It made Karai shiver just thinking about it. And the thought of Shredder… or not being able to control herself…. Karai suddenly felt fear. She reached a hand out to pet Fillien in the back of the neck to comfort herself. Fillien felt her nerves and she let Karai just pet her.

Once Karai calmed down, she looked at Fillien. She still had a glum look. Karai couldn't let Fillien continue to feel this way. Once Fillien had turned her head to look back up at her friend, Karai was smiling down at her. "Wimbi likessss you…. For you…. Ssssstrong, brave…. " Fillien's ears perked up. Then Karai added, "You never let…. Anything happen... To me…. or him."

Fillien realizes her point, with head perked up and wings tight on her side. Wimbi wouldn't be so into Fillien if she wasn't all the things she said she wasn't. And even if she wasn't in control of events, in the end the goal was to keep Karai safe. And here Karai was. Alive and well. If she could help Karai… then Fillien would never let Wimbi get hurt either. She's come this far. Farther then her own family. She knew they were proud of her for finishing what they tried to end. "Your right. That's what I am good at, Protecting those close to me. I can't keep the monsters at bay but I can keep Wimbi safe. Like I did you."

Karai nodded before saying unsure, "Ssssssooooo…. You…. Want to… be with him?" What Fillien did with her love life she didn't care, but she wanted her to be happy to.

Fillien said, "I do…. but I'm still going to go talk to him." Fillien stood up and finished with, "Thanks, Karai." The Kunoichi frowned immediately before turning her face away from Fillien. Fillien was already heading towards the fire pit where the others were. Karai didn't know why she felt so upset when Fillien thanked her. But subconsciously she knew she had to talk to Fillien about it.

Karai soon followed after and got to the edge of the forest in time to spot Jum and Larimar waiting by a tree. They were watching the center of the clearing where the fire was. Sitting next to the warmth, Fillien spoked diligently with Wimbi. Often the wolf boy would look confused, then wag his tail in excitement, then go back another range of emotions. At the end of Fillien's explanation, Wimbi said, "So it is not that you can't be with me, you were only worried. Oh, Fillien, you don't have to be sorry about that. You were looking for out for me. If anything, I must apologize. I moved too quickly."

"Yeah you did, but you also don't have to apologize. Trust me I'm pretty fast myself. And you didn't know. Now you do. Which is why I'm hoping…"

"Hoping…"

"I want to be with you… but since it took me longer than you to figure it out… can…. Can we start off slow?"

"Oh, um yes. H-how slow?"

"Well um…" Fillien had to be honest. She never had been in a relationship before. How to explain how far she can go for now. "Um…. How about…." Fillien scooted over to sit close to him, her right side pressed upon his left. Then she moved her head to be bellow Wimbi's head. He was surprised, ears perked up as hers laid gently to the side. She closed hers and relaxed. It felt good to be by his side.

Feeling her relaxed, Wimbi felt the same being with her too. "I like this, too." This was more than enough for him.

Fillien giggled but stayed where she was, "Ok good because this could have gone a lot weirder." They both chuckled.

Jum saw the two together and said to Karai, "What did you say?"

Karai took a breath. "Lotsssss of… wordsssss. Sssssummeray…. Fillien needs life."

"That she does, both of you do. And so…"

There was no longer denying it. No reason to hold back.

Jum, Karai, and Larimar soon went back to the pit and finished their meal with Wimbi and Fillien. Once it was past midnight, everyone turned in for the night, except for Karai and Fillien/ the snake girl had the cat stay out with her. "Fillien….. I'm ssssorry."

"For what?"

"Every chancccce… I make usssss ssstay."

"Ugh…. Elaborate?"

Karai's left hand held her right arm as her right hand twirled the loose strand of hair by her ear. "I ssssuggesssted…. To sssstay…. Becaussssse nightmaressss."

"Oh, you mean on the plateau yesterday? When you told me you know of my nightmares. Well, yeah, we had been here for almost a week now, but I wasn't ready to go."

"You were ready… I wasssssn't. I made you feel….. not…."

"What? No. If anything it probably could have turned for the worse in New York if I didn't have this extra day. I was already doubting myself. Without Wimbi, I wouldn't have realized… I was more than ready. And it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't made us stay just a little longer and talked to me about my potential."

"Oh, ok…." Karai mumbled.

Karai didn't make a move to leave. So if she didn't walk away, but said nothing, it meant she wanted Fillien to talk to her. She had no idea how though without wanting to feel guilty. "This isn't just about me, is it? It's ok to say something."

It took her a while, but then the snake girl heard those words and said. "I did that…. For me."

"You wanted us to stay because of you."

Karai nodded. "Can I…. go back?" she looked westward. Even if New York was far away, she could imagine the skyline. Imagining the skyline somewhat reminded her what her forgotten dreams were like. New York was there… somewhere. But with it came a sense of foreboding.

Fillien said, "I know you can. You know why?" Karai looked back at Fillien with a confused look. "Because you came so far out in unfamiliar territory. Helped me beat a crazy man and his goons. And he was a magical mutant no less. You can do all that back in New York."

Karai smiled. She was lucky to have Fillien. So, time to not hold back. "Let'sssss go back?"

Fillien hesitated a little and both looked out westward again. This time, a small light from above made both girls look up in time to see a shooting star cross the night sky. Both gaped at the sight because both remembered the last time they were together seeing something like this. As the light disappeared into the night, they looked at each other. Because they knew they had each other's backs just like all those years ago. "Yeah…. It's time to go back to New York."

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**A.N: FINALLY! It's official, we are heading back. The trek home starts next chapter. And also, Fillien and Wimbi are officially together. For a start at least. Anyway, more coming Sunday! For sure this time! I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	8. Chapter 6

**A.N: Hey look I'm right on time! Shocker XD. **

**1freakshow: I love this SHIP! And you can call me Kika :)**

**Siabot: Our little kitty is growing up!**

**Enenra: They are adorable!**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(translation)**

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**CHAPTER 6**

Karai and Fillien ran alongside each other, racing to the end of the busy New York streets. The small streets lights gave an orange and almost purple tinge to the walls around them. No cars or people were seen out at night. Odd for a New York night. But this wasn't New York, not yet at least. Fillien stopped to turn around and face their pursuer. Karai had continued to run but once realizing she was alone, she looked back to see her friend take a stance.

The Monstrous Talbot stopped midrun. His claws scraped the cement to make him halt, leaving claw marks. His piercing yellow eyes were full of confusion as his bit like wings spread out to try and making himself feel bigger. Fillien was doing the same, wings out but growling intensely. Talbot at first made no other move. He was accessing the situation. Soon he realized, his time her was done. "I guess there's no use trying to scare you." Shadows started to form on the walls of the buildings. Familiar ones. Enemies to Fillien and Karai. "And you know you have more to face. But as a Miracle Bearer, the consequences are going to be more then what you think you can handle."

A what? Fillien wanted to ask what he meant, but he was already stepping back into a fog that started to form. Once it consumed him, Fillien could see the silhouette of a man before the fog and Talbot disappeared for good.

Karai saw it all before looking the other direction. Just over the buildings right in front of her, the snake girl saw the familiar silhouette the Ew York skyline. It got her to remember all the dreams she had like this. Splinter was supposed to come out and tell her something… so that she could forget it all in the morning. But this time there was no giant rat here in her dreams… yes, her dad was mutated giant rat. "Father?" she called out. Nothing. Something was different. But it didn't feel wrong.

Fillien came up to stand next to her. That's when the cat noticed that Karai's complexion wasn't scaly white. She looked more human now. Her amber eyes sharp as she scanned the area. Fillien looked around and tried to see what she was looking for. That's when she noticed something bellow them. Fillien nudged Karai with her wings, making the Kunoichi look at what Fillien found. There were tracks, giant rat footprints, leading into a dark alley. Both girls didn't know if it was a good idea to go in. But if Splinter came through here. Karai reached out to grab a hold of Fillien's scruff as Fillien leaned against Karai's leg. Both walked with each other into the dark.

When they woke up, Karai looked around. She, in the middle of the night, had turned into her full snake form. Her dragon-like tail coiled up with Larimar sleeping peacefully on top of the top. As she looked up, she was careful not to let the metal of her upper body scrap the wood. Her giant serpent head swiveled back and forth to see nothing changed in Jum's hut. The man himself was sleeping face down almost hugging his pillow. When Karai looked to the other two sleeping at on the floor next to her, she noticed one looking at her.

Fillien was wide-eyed, but not afraid. Shocked actually. She looked to Wimbi quickly. Both were curled up close together. The wolf boy had his head laying on her backside. Fillien smiled and looked back at Karai with it. Both had remembered their dream. Yes, even Karai did this time and she was awake. But since they both had awoken at the same time, then their own dreams must have been so much more. So Fillien asked in a whisper, "Did you... see me?" Karai nodded. Then Fillien whispered, "I saw you." Karai just grinned.

Both went back to bed. But everyone was awoken by a strange honking sound. It was small, like a mini air horn being heard from a distance. But it was coming from inside the hut. Soon, the sound was traced to a tiny form perched on the edge of Jum's headrest. Malachite the blue hummingbird was still sleeping, snores coming out like long squeaks. It made everyone laugh hard enough for the little bird to wake up.

The morning became busy in the hut then. Jum was the kitchen portion of the hut preparing small but long-lasting meals. Larimar put together portable medical supplies with the help of Malachite. Karai, back in her human form, was outside by the porch fence, using the rail to fix lay the makeshift horse saddle on. Using tools Jum gave her, Karai fixed and broken parts and made tweaks.

Back in the hut, in the living space, Wimbi was helping Fillien back the detachable saddle pouch. The cat had already packed her mother's sketch journal. It had been used to find out her family's history with the Creator gems and even navigate to the origins to Kilimajaro. This was passed down to Fillien by her mother. Her father had passed down something else to her that did not originally belong to him though. Once Larimar handed Fillien the small pack of medical supplies and Wimbi put it in the back, Fillien grabbed something in her jaws. She walked to towards Jum and pawed at his feet o get his attention.

Jum had just finished putting the meals in small bags before looking back down to see what was in Fillien's mouth. He nearly fainted at the sight. "You… you brought this back?" He kneeled down and reached a hand out to grab the tooth necklace. Canine incisors from different carnivorous animals of Africa were strung onto strong twine.

"I saw the photo with you and my parents. You had this."

Jum closed his eyes but grasped the lion tooth of the necklace tight as he said, "I gave it to Hugo. Told him to keep it. It was a reminder. Stop the Griffiths."

"Well… goal met." Fillien used her tongue to push the necklace out of her mouth and let it drop into Jum's hands. With shaky fingers, Jum looked at it before he slowly put it on around his neck. She was right. The rings are destroyed. The Griffith's gone. "My father would want you to have it back," Fillien finished.

Jum stood up and said "Asante, Fillien."

Wimbi came around with the saddle pack in his jaws, the opening of it wide for Jum to pack the bagged food into it. That's when Karai came in with the cleaned saddle. "Ready."

Outside the hut, Jum tugged at his sling nervously as he watched Karai adjust the saddle on Fillien before tightening the straps. As soon as she added the attachable saddle pack to the makeshift saddle, Karai stood up. Fillien stood tall next to her. They looked to Jum to see himself fidget as Larimar came around to help. Jum swatted the little monkey's hand away. "It's fine... it's not actually…. Oh."

Fillien and Karai looked at each other to exchange knowing looks. They both looked at Jum again and Fillien said, "It's hard to say goodbye."

Jum smiled, trying his best to keep the tears back as he said, "At least this time…. It won't be forever."

Larimar gave small hoots of joy as he wobbled over on two legs and arms stretched out to the side. He quickly came to Karai and hugged her around the legs. The snake girl huffed but gave him a small pat on the head. "Goodbye… crazy monkey." Larimar gave his chimp-like screech before retreating.

That's when Malachite came and flew around Fillien and then landed on the cat's head. "Until next time, pipsqueak." The catgirl said with a smirk.

When the bird went to perch on Jum's shoulder, the old man came up to them each. Touching foreheads and saying to both. "May… Engai…. be your guide."

"Who?" Fillien asked as she received her blessing.

As Jum pulled away, Wimbi answered, "The deity of the Masaai, bringer of good or bad."

"Let's hope they bring you good," Jum added with a smirk as he pulled away from Fillien before touching foreheads with Wimbi. "Take care of these two. Make sure they both get out of Tanzania safely."

"I am sure they will be taking care of me more."

"We'll take care of each other," Fillien assured.

"We all… go home," Karai added.

"Home…" Jum hummed before looking at his small shack. It had always been the best he could make it since he left his Tribe. But it still wasn't the same without people. He felt it was a home for the first time in a long while ever since the girls showed up and Wimbi came and joined. "I think it is time I go home, too. After all, the story of the Creator has a better end. I have to find them and tell them."

"Proud of you, Jum," Fillien said, "I know how much you worried about going back."

"I'm going back on a more positive note. I can tell the tales in my people's language. My Maa could use practice."

The whole time they spoke about Jum's people, Wimbi's ears lowered to the side. Fillien had noticed but didn't want to address it. Not with a big audience.

Soon, Karai was hoisting herself up on the makeshift saddle on Fillien's back. Fillien ruffled her feathers and got them into place on her side as Wimbi joined her on her right. Then, they began to walk down the hill. Larimar and Jum waved goodbye from the shack as Malachite squeaked from her shoulder perch.

The Journey back home began

**-))))))))))))))))))) New York City, New York (((((((((((((((((((-**

The streets were dark, empty and lifeless. Sounds like machines running was heard in the distance, but nothing else functioned. In a small street, a small abandoned church lay quiet. But there was more to this place than met the eye.

Below ground, water droplets from a leaking pipe echoed around a long dark hallway that ended in a rounded chamber. The cobblestone flooring and walls made the air feel humid and damp. Which surprised the resident of the space as he looked from his jail cell. His blond hair the only thing that seemed to glow from the moon shining light through the skylight above. The rest of his dark clothing blended into the shadows.

Looking through the bars of his cell, he saw dark masked figures walk in an out of a space in the wall. They looked like ninja, but the way they walked seemed almost robotic. The mechanical sounds that came out of them only seemed to prove that theory. If that was the strangest thing, then the hole in the wall was plain crazy. It was so out of place, it looked as if someone smashed through it with a hammer. But his view was restricted and he couldn't see what was inside. The only clues were sounds. When the ninja's went in, echoes of footsteps could be heard as if they were going down. But that was impossible.

The man looked up at the skylight. He knew he was in an underground private jail, so how much deeper could the ground go? Is that why they brought tools with them? Were they building something bellow ground? Deeper than the sewers of this city? Deeper than the sewers at home. He scuffed. Home…. Well…. Paris to be more accurate. He had no home.

All of a sudden, a new kind of sound echoed through the halls. Something metal seemed to march heavily down the long narrow hallway into the rounded chamber. Automatically the ninja stopped to salute but when a heavily armored man entered into the room, he gave a simple wave of his hand to carry on. They all got back to work. When the armored man came to stop in front of the captives cell door, the skylight gave a view of the giant newcomer. Head to toe he was covered in armor. Mostly his shoulders were visible, and his helmet only allowed for the captive to see their eyes. One of them disfigured from injury.

"I tire of your inconsistent information," the armored man growled, "The base in Germany was completely disserted."

"Because I keep tell you… every time… The Griffith's League has completely disbanded. Once the Rings were destroyed, the goal could no longer be reached. And every time you persist there must be some way to get the rings back. I give you another base location. You send your…. Mutations… and they come back empty-handed. You come down here. The cycle repeats."

The armored man hit the bars in anger. "Do you accuse me of failure? Is that a challenge?"

The captive rolled his eyes. "Shredder… please… I waste away in this cell." He leaned closer to the light so that the armored man, Shredder, could see his dark clothing sag for he was almost skin and bone. "What can I gain from misfortune? If anything you should ask what the Griffith's can gain without Talbot. Nothing. They were just getting paid. He's gone. Then they go."

Shredder narrowed his eyes. "You continue to speak as if you were never one of them. We found you hiding in their main base in Paris."

"I was nothing but a service boy in the end to them. Told myself I would take the chance I want the next time I had it. A fool I was. Still can't believe I was tricked by you. To come to this city only to be held in the Foot Clan's jail cell under Hideout."

"You are being of good service. So long as you continue to provide, Ulrich."

The captive, Ulrich, sat back in his cell, lying against the cobblestone wall before saying. "Fine. There is another base in Russia. Before you send off your lackey's this time, how about think of something more… promising. Instead of trying to chase what is already gone, chase what is still there."

Instead of getting angry or leaving, Shredder chose to stay and play along. He knew where this was headed. "Still curious about the mysteries revolving Miss Lefevre? As promised, the girl is yours once I get what I want."

Then the Shredder was gone, leaving Ulrich to shake his head. "Tout comme Talbot. Est trop focalisé sur un fantasme, ne voyant jamais ce qui est réellement là." **(Just like Talbot. Focused too much on a fantasy, never seeing what's actually there.)**

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**A.N: A long chapter? Did I somehow find time to actually get almost five pages in? I guess I was really excited to get to this part. Ahahah. Started with the journey home but wanted to end with a snapshot with how things are in the Hideout in New York. Also, Jum decides to go home, so what's Wimbi thinking? More soon. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	9. Chapter 7

**A.N: Here on time with new chapter yiiii! **

**Saibot: Yep, and we're getting really close to the end of the Africa trip.**

**Enenra: All will go well, maybe not the way we expect but it will be good.**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 7**

The trio of mutants made their way down the mountain. Some of the animals that the girls made friends with gave chirps, grunts, and hoots of heartfelt goodbyes. Fillien and Karai would nod in return and the three would continue down. Wimbi smiled seeing the girl's faces. They seemed to be reminiscing the time spent on the mountain. Though it had only been a little over a week, Fillien and Karai felt like they've known the mountain for a long time. They even memorized the change in the environment and flora as they continued down.

To pass the time, Fillien spoke to Wimbi about their time on the mountain. Only an hour later and soon, they were at the familiar stream. A bit farther down, they got to Kilimanjaro base where the slope met the edge of the little farm town of Arusha. "All right… so…" Wimbi said as he eyed the main part of the town not far away. "So you want to… jump on another truck?"

Karai nodded but Fillien quickly put a wing out in front of Karai so that she was center of attention. "We can go by foot if you want. I know you're still a bit uncomfortable among human strangers."

Karai pulled Filliens wing away and hissed, "Won't…. get caught."

"And we have an even better chance of not getting caught by foot," Fillien said back.

Wimbi added, "And I can even take you on a more direct route to the airport by foot. Automotives must take longer routes." He saw Karai get flustered and added, "There are cool hot springs along the way."

This perked up Fillien's ears and she squeaked, "Like spa treatment?" Karai wasn't one for spa days. The reason she wanted to take a transport was so that she didn't have to walk. But she did like the sound of swimming, and not a baking sunbath. The snake girl also gave a pleading look to Wimbi.

The wolf boy said, "Um… I do not know what that is. But, I believe it will be refreshing."

And it was. Not more than an hour later heading southwest on the flat desert ground did Wimbi find something. A square mile clump of trees and heavy bush surrounded a small pool of crystal clear blue water. Wimbi said, "It's not the biggest around, but the locals and tourist like to go to bigger ones. Here it's safe."

"I'm not complaining, I've been under the sun for an hour." And Fillien jumped in with a splash. It wasn't entirely cold but not to warm for Fillien to feel stuffy under the hot sun. When she surfaced she dog paddled around the edges. "Wow! I haven't swum anywhere since I got turned into a mutant." Wimbi jumped in after her and like a fish swam under her using his tail almost like a fishtail. He propelled himself forward and then upwards to jump high and arc over Fillien.

When he came down with a splash, Fillien covered her face with her wing. When Wimbi surfaced, Fillien added, "Well, besides the time you saved me off course." She smiled remembering when she and Karai first took flight over Tanzania and immediately were hit by a flock of beards. After she had crashed into a salt lake full of flamingos, Wimbi had dove in to save her. That's how they met. Fillien felt herself slowly go down deeper into the water. "I mean… with these wings…" Fillien struggled to keep herself above water as best she could.

"Not a big swimmer… no worries I have you." Wimbi swam alongside Fillien and had her put one wing over his back as a hold so that she felt lighter. She even rested her head against his. Wimbi did the same back As they swam together, Karai would slowly go down a slope made up of roots of a tree.

They were strong enough to support her as she fully stood on the roots, feet first in the water. Her snake blood and human nerves enjoyed the mix between cold and warmth thanks to the water. She jumped in without another thought. Her snake form came out in reaction. She felt invigorated. She even went down and swam to the depths of the pool. More than a hundred feet deep. When she surfaced she shook her head off the water. This made droplets to fly everywhere and Fillien and Wimbi laughed in reaction.

Feeling impish, Karai submerged herself until only the top of her head stayed over the water. Then with her tail, she raised it and splashed water all over the couple. Fillien giggled and dog paddled away from Wimbi so that she could get to the edge of the water. When she stood on the tree roots acting as a platform, she used her paws to splash water towards Karai.

Karai switched in her human form for a second to blow a raspberry before turning into her snake form and going under. Wimbi followed her down. His webbed feet helped him push forward as he swam in circles around Karai. Karai paid no heed and just swam up to jump high over the water and splash water on Fillien. "ACK!" Fillien yelled and when Karai landed and swam to the catgirl Fillien used her wings and pushed forward. The window she created propelled the water like a wave. It caused Karai to move back a little but wasn't too much. At least until Fillien jumped in and splashed water on Karai.

The mutants played around a little while before making their way out again. For the next couple of hours it was the same routine. Walk. Maybe along a dry riverbed or a grassy plain. Passing Acacia and Baobab trees before finding another hot spring to rest and play in. Occasionally they'd bump into small animals here and there. Jackels, meerkats, mongooses. They would help Wimbi seek out the next hot spring to rest at. After doing the routine three times, the sun had gone down to leave some light left. So the trio ventured on a small road the rest of the way to the airport. But even though they saw the familiar lights of a runway up ahead and the com tower distinguishable, the trio were too exhausted. Another step and they'd fall flat on their face.

They took to a grove of Baobab and huddled together once the night completely engulfed them. Karai was feeling a relaxed enough to be in her snake form and curl in a circle around the mutant couple. Fillien and Wimbi watched the snake girl fall fast asleep, snoring loudly.

"Today was great Wimbi…" Fillien whispered. "A great send-off. We got to see more of the lands. Learn about the hot springs. Meet new animals. Travel together…. I know you'll miss Tanzania."

Wimbi, frowned for the first time since they left Jum behind. Since he said he was going home. The wolf boy looked around. Even though he was far from the more glamorous beauty of the wilds, the baobabs made him feel longing. This was the tree of this whole country, this whole continent. Being near it tied him with the rest of life he had grown up around. He was connected to them. And there was someone else he was connected to. Someone he had not been able to see for years and had still wanted to find. And so… it hurt him to think he would have to leave them.

"Wimbi? Are you ok?" Fillien asked.

The wolf boy looked at her. Seeing her just made him smile. He wanted nothing more to be with her after all. "Of course."

"You pulled the same face back with Jum. He mentioned his home. So… what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about… my home. I mean, I feel it's with you. But this is also my home. And…. then there's…. something I have yet to do…" He couldn't bring himself to say it.

Fillien seemed to know though. "Your mother." Wimbi was shocked that she got it right off the bat. So she explained, "You looked for her once before. But you had a hard time finding her because of the number of humans in Dar es Salemm."

"You remembered what I told you?"

"Of course. That was the place you were born in… and taken from when you were so young by the Kraang."

Wimbi looked down at his webbed feet. He remembered all the experiments he went through. The torture with mutagen that turned him from a young boy to the perfect dire wolf and fish hybrid. He closed his eyes, trying to keep himself from remembering the horrible parts and remembering the first day he felt freedom when he escaped. That is until what little memory he had left of this mother and home lead him to a place… that would never accept him. "I am thinking of my mother… but the human city is too much for a mutant like me."

"And the animals?"

"Like I said they are family. But I always jump from one group to the next. I'll come back to them one day."

"Without saying goodbye for now?" Fillien wanted him to be with her. She felt flattered he called her his home. But she saw his longing. For the mother he couldn't find and for the animals that raised him after his mutation.

And he wouldn't budge. "They'll…. Understand," Wimbi finished with a sigh before laying his head on her back.

Fillien said, "They could…. But don't let this ache in your heart last too long either." Fillien gave him a tender loving lick on his ears before she rested her head on his back. She wanted to be with him… but she wanted him to be happy, too. Wimbi couldn't help but think of those words until he fell asleep.

No nightmares or dreams that night. They had all fallen asleep and woken up with the sound of an owl hooting in the distance before the sun rose. "Let's move," Wimbi urged. They tried getting close to the airport but the saw heavy security along the fences. Getting help from an aardvark, the three followed the creature through some tunnels it had built bellow ground. Long and new fresh tunnels on their side connecting to some old ones on the other side of the fence.

Wimbi, Fillien, and Karai crawled and slithered best they could into the tiny space the tunnels made before finally coming up to the surface. They made it past the fence and security and were practically nose to nose with the runway. Fillien whispered, "Thank you, little aardvark." And she and Fillien began to scoot towards a trench that sat a couple of meters from a control tower.

Wimbi looked to the creatutre and said, "Subiri hapa. Ikiwezekana." **(Wait here. Just in case.)** The aardvark nodded and went into the tunnel to stay hidden. Wimbi slowly crept to where the girls were before the trio made there was to the control tower.

Avoiding searchlights, trucks, trollies, and security, they made it to the shadowy cast wall of the tower. Well, it was shadow cast until they noticed the light of dawn become brighter. They had a clear view of the east where the sun started to finally rise. The little light they had now was becoming too bright to hide under. They had to think fast.

Fillien spotted the plane they needed to be on. "There!" She pointed at the Boeing making its way from port to the runway.

Karai looked at it oddly, "Not… American…."

"We're making a pit stop before heading to New York. But we're not going to make it anywhere if we don't go now."

Fillien bolted for the plane once it got close enough to the tower for them to run towards without getting caught. Wimbi barely noticed. He was mesmerized by the way the light shined on the horizon. It gave great silhouettes to the mountain ranges and forest along the horizon line. It was almost like it was showing what he would be missing if he left. Karai quickly slapped him out of the trance and he followed the snake girl to where Fillien stood. The plane had stopped in time for her and the others to jump into the wheel compartment. As they sat on the edge, Fillien and Karai took deep breaths of relief. "Finally. It feels like we're done here," Fillien sighed.

Karai hissed, "Missssss it."

"Me too."

"I won't," Wimbi cut in, shocking Fillien and Karai. They both gave him a hard eyebrow as he stood up and looked down to Fillien. "You're right. Everyone is going home to finish what they started. But I haven't." The catgirl smiled and stood up to face him as Karai continued to look at the wolf boy astounded. "I love you, Fillien. I want to be with you. But I must give the family that raised me a proper goodbye. And I must find my mother. I can't let fear stop me from telling her how much I miss her."

Fillien felt a swell of pride in her chest as she leaned in and gave him a peck on his snout before licking his left cheek lovingly. Then she stepped back and said, "I love you, too. And I'm so proud. You know where to find me. Just ask the fishes first for directions."

Wimbi chuckled. "When the time is right, I will." Then he raised his head higher to look at Karai still sitting there dumbfounded. "Keep an eye on her."

The Kunoichi smirked, "Asssss alwayssss."

Wimbi smiled before he gave Fillien a lick on her forehead and looked her in the eyes one last time. Then he jumped off the compartment and back down to the ground. He made a break for the tunnel entrance where the aardvark waited. He jumped in but looked back to see the plane begin to take off. He felt a piece of him go but he knew he could mend it later. He had to fix something first that could only be mended at the moment. The wolf boy was still curious about something. "Why is she headed back to France first?"

**-))))))))))))) Montpellier, France ((((((((((((((-**

Near the beachfront of Montpellier's coast, a couple houses lay quiet. It was winter with the houses being only used to rent for summer. But one was occupied. A man sat outside on his beach chair trying to relax. He had been nervous for the last couple of weeks. After all his niece was out trying to stop whatever had been plaguing their family. The ones who killed his nephew and his brother in law. The men that had killed his sister, Eloise.

He had been left in the dark on the truth, for his safety. He knew the Griffith's League were involved. But what was it was the question? It's why he came to live in the secret family home here in Montpellier. Paris was not discreet enough and he would be targeted. But he just needed to know. He hoped that not only would his niece succeed so that she and her friend came out alive, but so that he could finally know.

As if his prayer was answered. He felt a shadow fly over him. By the time he looked up, something fell on his face. He jumped up in his seat a bit making the item fall on his lap. When he looked. He saw it was a red leather journal. It looked familiar. When he opened it, he was hit with memories. He recognized the style of drawings. These were his sister's sketches. This was one of Eloise's journals. How come he had never seen this one before.

There were notes and it was filled to the brim. One at the end was not in his sister's writing. It wasn't familiar. It was scratchy, but he could read it. It was in English. "Hello, uncle. It's Fillien. My friend writes for me since my mutation doesn't allow it." He laughed. He knew of his niece's mutation. Saw here even. It was still something he had to wrap his mind around though. He continued to read. "I give this to you now as a sign that our family will be at peace now that the reason behind their death has been destroyed. The Griffith's are no more."

The man had to take a deep breath and let it out. He thought he'd never hear those words. He continued to read. "You probably want to know what happened, why it happened, and how it led to our trip to Africa. Look through this journal and all your questions will be answered. I would love to stay and talk, but I need to help my friend now. Best wishes to you, Uncle Alfred. Love always, Fillien."

Sitting back and letting a couple tears fall, Uncle Alfred felt free for first time in a long while. He imagined the catgirl was flying to the airport now. He wished he could see her. But she had her own life now. She needed it after everything she went through. Speaking of which…

Alfred opened the journal and began to read.

**-)))))))))))))))) Plane to New York (((((((((((((-**

"I hope Uncle Alfred can finally understand how dangerous the rings were that we had to keep it a secret from him," Fillien said. She and Karai were sitting in the luggage compartment of another plane heading to New York. "I know the journal was meant for me but I think now that it's over, he should have it. Just like Jum got his necklace back."

Karai laid against Fillien's side as she rested her eyes and tried to keep herself together. She was listening to Fillien but she was also getting nervous about New York. Filllien could feel it, so that cat girl said, "Hey it's going to be ok, we have each other to face the Kraang and the Foot Clan.

Karai turned to the side. Her back was to Fillien but she stroked the fur to comfort herself. She was saying it was the battles they would face. But the biggest worry of them all was really about her reunion with her family. Can she do it without hurting them? Her father? Is that what all her dreams meant. Was it time to face them?

* * *

**A.N: A long chapter because the next one HAS to be in New York. The wait is officially over! And even though some of you were expecting Wimbi to tag along, as an OC character himself I want him to grow, too. And this story is about Fillien and Karai. We're going to hit some Karai stuff now so I want to focus on that. This is not the last time we will be seeing Wimbi though no worries. For now, let's get pumped for some Ninja and Alien action again. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	10. Chapter 8

**A.N: Oops! A day late sorry. I was on D23 hype all weekend**

**Enenra: Hope Saibot's ok. And Yes I'm with you on that because there is going to be more action!**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 8**

The sound of the wheel compartment opening up made the girl's sit up straight from their nap. The plane was about to land. Fillien and Karai had to hang on to the metal pipe as it lowered the wheel into the open. Then with perfect timing, Fillien jumped off with Karai after her. They both dove downwards to avoid the pull of the air into the engine. Once they were free falling, Fillien angled herself so her saddle would come close to Karai. The Kunoichi grabbed hold of the saddle and hoisted herself to sit on it. That's when Fillien leveled out.

The girls looked around, seeing it wasn't dark out. Which made sense since they had flown west with the sun just behind them. It was still catching up to them, especially since the sky was only a light blue. But the sun would rise soon. "And that would mean if the Kraang kept to their usual schedule…," Fillien began, "we'll make it there in time for an open window to their changing patrol guard."

She pushed forward and together she and Karai made their way to where the highway met the entrance to the New York Suburbs. They noticed a huge barricade up ahead. Fillien pointed out, "Looks like they built that while we were gone." They noticed some figures standing guard, but they didn't want to accidentally draw attention by being curious. So to remain unnoticed, Fillien used the cover of the winter clouds. They soared high but not too far in so that Fillien's wings wouldn't freeze and they wouldn't be able to see. Karai being half cold-blooded, however, wasn't having a good time. Her teeth chattered as a fierce wind blew by. "Hang on Karai, almost there," Fillien assured her.

As soon as they flew over the Bronx and found the East River, Fillien began to dive down to the ground. When she leveled out again, Karai and Fillien took in the scene. They remembered it just like last time. Some buildings intact and some broken or in complete shambles. The streets littered with debris. Cracked sidewalks like a huge earthquake ripped through the city. Lights were still out meaning New York was still completely dark on the grid. The added snowfall now that accumulated on roofs and streets made it more disheartening to look at. No one was outside enjoying it. Thankfully there were no signs of Kraang patrols. No silver-coated robots with slimy brain-like creatures controlling them anywhere to be seen. But there were other creatures: People, or what used to be people.

But their ligaments and heads looked like a mesh of human flesh just mixed up with Kraang like qualities of tentacles and bug eyes. They remember the day of the invasion. The Kraang had developed weapons of mutagen to turn people into monsters. For what reason they had no idea. But there seemed to be a reason because as they got closer and closer to the main city there was less and less of them. "The Kraang must have some captive."

And with fewer people, there were suddenly more patrols. Flying as close to the rooftops so as not to be seen, Fillien and Karai made it over Harlem. Passing my giant machines with bipedal legs that patrolled the streets. There were too many now as they neared the main city. "We're going to have to land in Central Park. We can figure out where to go from there." Karai looked on ahead. The cold fog turned the very distinct silhouette of the Main Square buildings into a blur. But she recognized it, from memory and her dreams. They felt so close even if they were actually a pretty good distance away. But then something felt off… no…

Karai's tongue came out, taking in the scent buds in the air. She smelled snow, and sewage and the added melting-plastic-like scent of the Kraang. But there was something else. It was like gas and then something else. Dry blood on fur. Karai became on edge just as soon as Fillien heard something coming on their left. It was coming from the streets but out of sight because of the buildings. Yet Fillien could make out the unmistakable sound of a jet back… and the hunter's growl. "KARAI HANG ON!" And Fillien made a B-line East.

That's when he pounced. Fillien didn't look back but Karai did. A blur of orange and black stripes formed a humanoid tiger. Well muscled and heavily equipped with sharp front and back claws. Her wore sleeved and light material for clothing but padded with armor. A cross on his chest held his chosen weapons of pellets and bombs. Like a cowboy he had a holster for his blasters and to help him pounce high and fly, he had a jet back strapped the back.

"Tiger Claw…" Karai hissed as she and Fillien remembered the worst memories with this member of the Foot Clan. Ever since Shredder brought him in, the tiger had been nothing but trouble for the girls. Threatening their place in the Foot Clan and not just physically, but emotionally. He said he had honor but he had taught himself to kill without hesitation. Even the innocent and weak. Almost wiping out the ninja turtles if Karai had not chosen to stand for them.

(Song: "Red Death Battle" from HTTYD track)

And Fillien had bigger beef with him. There could only be one flying cat in this city. "We can take him," Fillien assured nervously, "We just got to shake him." Both girls looked at each other, gaining some courage before Fillien pushed forward. She flew low into an alley but stayed flying. Using the buildings as obstacles, Fillien weaved in and out of alleys into streets and back into alleys. She would make sharp rights and hard lefts, trying to lose Tiger Claw in the maze of structures. Once, the catgirl almost managed to create some distance. She flew between two satellite towers. They had been broken to the point they had toppled into each other at one point to form an ex. The bars remained intact. Perfect. She found space to fly through with Karai on her back. She knew Tiger Claw wouldn't be able to fit through

Though they managed to slow him down by making him fly around, he was still relentless. He pulled out his blasters and began to fire a barrage of ice pellets. The girls yelped as they felt each one activate and fly past them. Sharp ends almost grazing their skin. Avoiding getting hit made Fillien slow down and Karia looked back to see Tiger Claw right on their heels. She looked up at the sky and got an idea. "Dissssssapear!"

Fillien looked up, seeing the clouds. "Right!" She angled herself to dip low then push herself to go high. Tiger Claw seemed to expect it because he gave no indication of slowing down as he also went high. Fillien flapped her wings as strong as she could, making sure to keep at a rhythm to avoid flailing and plummeting. "Come on, come on."

Karai looked back in time to see Tiger Claw reload his blasters with other pellets. She. didn't want to take any chances at whatever he planned to do next. The Kunoichi yelled, "Incoming!" Fillien looked with eh corner of her eye and saw flames coming right after them. She began to spin slowly. Keeping her wings spread out to avoid getting hit by the flame thrower like power. She would only flap her wings to gain height if necessary. When they finally went through cloud cover, Fillien made a hard left into the denser part. It's how Tiger Claw lost sight of them and just hovered there in the middle of the large cloud.

"Where are you…?" the tiger growled in his thick Japanese accent. He held out now dual blasters and kept them in the ready. With an eye patch on his left eye, he had to swivel his head around so that his right eye could see. But his ears did most of the work, which was unfortunate for him. He had a good sense of smell but his hearing wasn't like the catgirl. It showed.

An attack came from above as he felt something large flew down like a dart but scratched him hard on his left arm. He gave a loud roar and aimed his blasters down. The cloud cover below him didn't allow him to see Fillien make a turn. She came in from the bottom left, his blind side, so that Karai, hanging tight by the saddle, had her arm out ready. As they came close, Karai aimed, swung her arm back, then with a fisted hand, punched forward. It came in contact with Tiger Claw's jaw as the girls' flew by. It was so hard he felt his jaw dislocate a little.

He roared again and holstered one blaster to give himself a free hand to place his jaw back. Distracted, he didn't react to Fillien coming at an angle from the front. She sliced through the X on his armored chest. The belt holding the pellets was ripped off. Some pellets were activated on contact. A shard of ice grew from Tiger Claw's chest and the end almost pierced his face if he had not moved it away. The fire ones exploded around him, forcing him to try and claw off whatever was stuck to him.

It gave the girl's time to get away, leaving the killer mutant to try and save his fur from getting singed or frozen. Fillien made a break for the ground, plummeting like a dart past the clouds and into free. Fillien cheered as Karai hissed in amusement, "Bye, bye… Kitty…."

Fillien leveled out and continued their trek towards Central Park. They were just a couple streets away until they heard a roar behind them. Both girls looked back. Tiger Claw had somehow recovered fast enough to be in hot pursuit. Some of his fur was burned in patches and frost covered the rest. What remained the same, and even looked worse, was his angry scowl. He yelled in pure anger, "Your welcome will not go so easy. I'll MAKE SURE OF IT!" He aimed his dual blasters and fired two purple streaks of light. Plasma blasts. Just like those of the Kraang. Fillien avoided them, just by doing a 360 spin. She didn't look to what he was really aiming for.

Up ahead were smoke pipes from a factory. Nothing was running in that facility, but whatever they were cooking up was flammable. One of the plasma shot through the cement wall of one pipe, all hell broke loose. A huge explosion rocked at least a square mile of the area. The force of the blast knocked Fillien and Karai out of the air. Tiger Claw felt victory at first, seeing the girl's fall. But he had to protect himself from the blast. Shielding himself with his arms and turning to the side, his jet pack was exposed to flying debris. He felt intense heat in his back before his pack exploded and he was sent flying another way.

The smoke of the blast began to settle and dust began to fall gently to the ground. The factory fire making the dark cloud glow a tinge of orange. Shards of glass and chunks of floor and wall were scattered around the area. Some had even crashed through walls of other nearby buildings and destroying both interior and exterior. In this mess, no mutant could be found. Curious Kraang humans, pulled by the light of the burning factory, came from nearby to inspect. Even the Kraang themselves started to investigate. Patrol tanks stomped around. But they didn't seem to do anything else. They just let the smoke fill the area and let the factory burn itself to the ground.

This was the craziness Karai and Fillien were coming back to. A perfect homecoming.

* * *

**A.N: Oh it feels GREAT to be writing like this again. With action and the song to go with it. I've had this idea forever but wanted to wait for the right moment for it. It's inspired by HTTYD after all, lol. Not only are the girls back in New York but they get a warm welcome from the Tiger man himself! What happened after the explosion? Find out next week. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	11. Chapter 9

**A.N. Nope! I'm not dead! My aunt just surprised us with a visit and low and behold we got busy. Anyway, I won't let you guys wait for Sunday. Here is the next chapter!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 9**

Inside the Main Hall of the Footclan Hideout, a long walkway that led up to a stone throne at the end stood the Shredder. His shadow cast by the sunlight coming through the large window in front to him dominated the cement walk up to the entrance doors. There, Tiger Claw burst through, pushing the sliding doors aside and marching down the walkway. From the decorative water features that lined he walkway from either side, a giant purple fish head poked out from the left. Fin protruding the water with yellow eyes watching the tiger, the fish mutant waited there.

Tiger Claw kneeled before the stairs leading to the thrown, head bowed as he said, "Master Shredder. I finally bring good news. I spotted Karai. It seems though that she was spotted… along with the cat."

Shredder narrowed eyes, there devious glow reflecting off the window. He didn't turn but say, "Perhaps Mrs. Lefevre didn't defeat Talbot on her own. Perhaps Karai has been with her the whole time."

"That would explain Karai's absence all these months. I could not even trace her scent until today." Tiger Claw stood up. "And explosion caused a set back in her capture. But with added security by Kraang, Karai and Fillien will not be able to leave again. How would you like me to proceed?"

Shredder thought for a while before finally turning around and saying, "Track them down but do not capture. Baxter has yet to finish his new science lab. Once he is finished, we bring them in."

))))))))))))) Upper Bay (((((((((((

Karai woke up surrounded in water. Wait? Surrounded by water? Quickly feeling for where gravity was taking her, she swam the opposite way. Being that she was in her snake form, she swam quickly up to the surface. Gasping for air she, like a whale, jumped high and came back down with a giant splash. When she surfaced again she looked around, keeping only her eyes and nostrils visible above water. She did so to keep hidden as she tried to figure out where she was.

She remembered the explosion that caused her to fall out of the saddle, but she was knocked out before she could see where she had fallen to. All signs pointed to the river because now she was in the bay. But she was in the bay facing Battery Park. The sun had already fully risen over the horizon behind Karai, so it gave light to show her the tall, unmistakable New York buildings. And even though it was early morning, lights should have been on still. The bustling city load with the morning commutes and the rushing citizens. But no… it was quiet.

The Kraang really did take over the entire city. It didn't hit her that hard when she and Fillien were flying over— Fillien! Karai swiveled her head around. Where was her friend? Did she get blasted into the water as well? sent adrift here too? Karai called out as best as he could, "Fillien!" A Kraang stealth ship flew by right at the moment. Not cloaked, so Karai was able to see it and duck underwater. She took this time to look bellow the surface. She prayed that she hadn't missed seeing Fillien. She hoped she didn't draw under her nose. Going deeper, Karai skimmed the ground. There was nothing. In fact, there weren't even fish.

The Kraang must have made it so that not even animals would want to come near. And it wasn't because it was still cold being it was late February. There was something else in the water. Karai could sense it. Thankfully it wasn't Fillien. The cat hadn't drowned. But where has she gone? Well, Karai couldn't stay long anyway, the water was too cold for her snake blood. She swam back up to the surface and, like an alligator, swam just near the waterline to sneak to shore. But the feeling of not being alone was still there. Karai stopped and looked around again. Nothing could be seen, below or above the surface. This creature was sneaky.

So she waited. Pretending to be bait, then her snake senses went on fire. She dart left as something large started coming to her from below the water. She got away in time to look back and see a reptile-like being breach the water's surface with mouth wide open. It was like one of those long neck swimmer's in dinosaur books. Large body, four big fins, and a long tail. As it came down towards her with its round gaping jaws, Karai made a break for the bay entrance. Eastward. Swimming as fast as she could. She had to use serpentine movements to try and lose the creature. At first, it was hot on her tail. But it's large body was meant dor strength, not endurance. It began to slow down. Once Karai made it to open water, she looked back. The creature had given up once she crossed the bay line.

She was home free. But Fillien wasn't. Karai was in the city somewhere. The snake girl had to go back for her friend. It was too dangerous now though. With that…. Kraang creature…. guarding the bay, Karai had to find a way around and get back to the main island. Central Park was where they needed to be right? She'd have to find a way there but first…. Karai looked northward. There, another part of the city that stood silent. Brooklyn.

))))))))))))) Central Park (((((((((((

It was bright where Fillien was. When she opened her eyes she saw the sun glaring right at her. She was on her back on the ground so she had to shield her eyes by putting her paws up over her face as she rolled onto her stomach. As she put her paws down and looked ahead, she saw nothing but trees. So she looked left. Tree. And then right. More trees. Behind her. Trees and some Kraang- oh no—

"Halt in this place so that Kraang can do the action known as taking you to the place that is the place that is—"

"Yeah, I'm not sticking around the hear the rest of that," Fillien got up and just ran away from the group of five Kraang droids.

"Kraang, do that what is called fire at will." By the time their blasters were locked, ready, and firing, Fillien had cleared the tree line. As she ran as fast as she could through the trees, she realized where she was. Central Park. She could tell by the space around her and the giant buildings that surrounded the area. As she came into the clearing, she noticed just over the line of buildings there was remains of an explosion. The mushroom cloud slowly spreading across the sky before disappearing to leave the sky gray again. That's where she must have come from and she was blown all the way here. Her and Karai—

Fillien skidded to a halt. She looked around in a panic. Karai and Fillien separated in the explosion. Where was Karai now? a blast whizzed by her ear, almost hitting it. Fillien ducked but went into another run. The Kraang weren't fast but they were determined. Fillien ran into another grove before using it to fly out without the Kraang seeing her. She soared high and as fast as she could before looking around. She didn't see Karai. Not near the explosion, not anywhere. Fillien did see a set of footprints in the snow though that weren't Kraang or human-kraang. She flew down and got a better look, landing over a giant paw print in the ground.

With a growl, Fillien's ears went back as she looked around and stepped away. Tiger Claw. He was gone but as soon as he told Shredder what he saw he'd be back. At that moment, a Kraang ship flew overhead and Fillien ducked behind a trashcan. When it was gone she walked back out into the open. She was too exposed. Fillien had to hide. She would have to try and search for Karai in secret. Fillien just had to find a place to hide. She could only think of one place. Flying as fast as she could, Fillien flew across the city but not too far. She didn't want to be far away from where she and Karai got separated. But she needed to be in a secure location she knew.

Fillien made it to Manhatten, avoiding Kraang patrols the best she could as noon approached. She landed on the roof of an old fancy apartment. A familiar one. Kicking open the stairway door Fillien rushed in and then stopped when she made it to the top floor. There she went to the wooden railing and looked down the many floors that made up the dusty building inside. The chandelier glimmered slightly with what little sun broke through the boarded-up windows. She sighed, "hello again little hideout." Yep, it was the place where Fillien hid with Karai and her other mutant friend Pete right after the Kraang invaded. Looking like a mansion from the inside with a few scrapes here and missing furniture there.

Since Karai had been here once, Fillien hoped that Karai would find her way here too. But if not, Fillien promised at first light of the moon she would go out and search

))))))))))))) Brooklyn (((((((((((

Karai hissed back behind her before slithering around a corner. A patrol of Kraang had spotted her only minutes after she left the water and traversed the streets of Brooklyn. She thought being small like a human and sticking to the shadows would make it easier for her to get to safety somewhere. But she still stuck out like a sore thumb in daylight. With all these Kraang even. Even the human-kraang creatures were in on this. They gave a screech when she was nearby. She had to go full-on snake to get away as fast as she could. As soon as Karai found water she dove in.

She felt freedom for a second before frowning when she realized it was saltwater. She was forced back to the ocean, again! This was getting annoying. She surfaced with only her eyes and nose sticking out to see and breath. Like a crocodile she sawm along the surface along the Brooklyn Harbor. She went far enough to where some of it wasn't a port but ashore. Sandy beaches with no people. Sure it was still winter but even then there should have been someone out enjoying the day.

Not possible though, because by the looks of the Kraang patrols the aliens even took over Brooklyn. Karai could backtrack, but Karai had a feeling that they even had Jersey City under their control. Stupid, brain looking freaks from space. How was Karai going to find a way back to New York City without the Kraang capturing her? She would never get reunited with her father and the turtles at this rate. Suddenly, she was hit with a memory, a bad one. The Kraang attack her and Fillien as they escaped New York. The thought of running away suddenly reminded Karai of her running through the sewers from the Turtles Lair to the Shredder Hideout. To kill him.

Karai grabbed her head, shaking it as the memory was followed with Shredders knives extending from their hiding place in his armor. "Think…." She hissed slowly as she stopped fusing a took a breath. She let go of her head as she looked around. What just happened? She looked up at the sky. Even if the clouds cover the sun there was still some light that shined through to give a view. Karai would have to go by night to avoid being spotted. But where to hide during the day was the question. She soon came upon another harbor.

This one wasn't a port though. It was too small for ships but big and strong enough for the wooden floors to hold up giant roller coasters and Ferris wheels several feet over the water. Was this…. Coney Island? Karai had never been. She heard stories though. It sounded fun. But in daylight, and with the snow covering the rides and the Kraang having taken over it was dead silent.

Karai decided to investigate. She jumped high over the water, transforming mid-jump to land as a human in a crouch on the wooden bridge. Looking around she saw all types of rides, the basic ones to ones she'd never even heard of. And there weren't any Kraang patrols nearby. "Hmmmm…." This might be the best place to hide, for now. She looked to a roller coaster on her left. "Comet….."

))))))))))))) Manhatten (((((((((((

The sun was setting finally. But Tiger Claw had been out all day anyway. Being that the Foot Clan were in good terms with the Kraang, he didn't need to hide from them. He had a free pass. Yet even though he had all the freedom, he was still struggling to find the two mutant girls. Where had they gone?

As he jumped from building to building, he didn't notice two cat-like eyes peeking out of a window of an apartment. Inside, Fillien sat as still and quiet as she could as the monstrous mutant passed by. She had been watching the area from the place she established as her room in the abandoned complex. She hoped to spot Karai but saw nothing but snow and Kraang all day. Seeing Tiger Claw made her pray she wouldn't get caught. Once he was gone, Fillien took a deep breath and lied down on the old mattress.

It finally dawned on her she was back to where she started all those months ago. Alone, hiding in fear of both Kraang and Foot. Karai lost in the streets. Even the thought of not having Pete around depressed her. He was a weird one but he was still her friend who taught her how to fly. He had sacrificed his freedom of leaving a Kraang infested New York by distracting them to let Karai and Fillien make a break for freedom themselves. Who knows what happened to him? Not knowing where any of her friends were… it was happening all over again

))))))))))))) Brooklyn (((((((((((

Sitting inside a little shack that had the controls for the Roller Coaster, Karai thought the same thing. And worse….

Karai held her head as she felt a bit of pain, it came with a memory, a bad one. The sharp claws of Shredders knives coming out of their hiding place in his armor. Karai forced herself out of her memory and curled into a coil as she turned into her snake form. If Karai was in control of herself, why was this happening again?

* * *

**A.N: Separated again! Oh what cruel things the fates throw at these girls. But what will they do this time around? And with Shredder and Tiger Claw on there trail? Find out next! I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	12. Chapter 10

**A.N: BRUHS! I met Ciro Nieli! He came up with the designs for the 2012 Ninja Turtles series. I got a poster signed an everything! In a bit of a rush so let's get straight to the chapter.**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 10**

Coney Island was Karai's temporary home the following days. February turned to March and the snow was starting to melt away slowly as winter neared its end. Karai sat on the roof of a tall building, scooping up some snow piled on the roof edge in her hand. She wanted to admire it for a bit, but her fingers turned cold instantly, the frozen feeling on her cold blood making her drop it.

Instead, she looked up to the East River then New York. The moon shined bright giving light to the city around her. But she needed to keep looking. This was the farthest she had gone out without getting caught by Kraang. She was close to finding out how to get back to the Main City, she just knew it. Karai turned into her snake form a slithered down the wall, landing in a pile of trash bags. She poked her head out, looked both ways, then crossed the street into an alley.

))))))))))))))) East River ((((((((((((

Fillien did her search that night as well. She had covered most of Manhattan in the last couple of days and even retraced her flight path around Harlem. But Karai was nowhere to be seen. Now she was going to the one place she could think to look. Karai was smart, hopefully hiding from the Kraang. And if Fillien couldn't track her on the surface level, then there must have been another place she could be hiding.

Pete, the pigeon mutant she befriended, was the gossip man for the streets above. But for the sewers, there was another mutant. One that Pete introduced her to just before leaving New York. Fillien walked along the edge of the East River, heading back to Manhatten but following a trail alongside the walls of the river. Soon she came across a row of sewer entrances that lined up against the river. Three wide circle-shaped tunnels leading into the deep depths of the sewage system.

Even if she didn't have a good sense of smell, she still wanted to throw up at the stench that came out of it. But she had to do what she had to do to find Karai. Fillien went into the middle tunnel, her feet avoiding any trickle of water coming down like a small stream. Soon she came to where the tunnel got darker and wider. It opened into a large space, dry, and with barely any light. "Hey, kid, can you turn on the lights?" She yelled out. She waited but there was no response. She was left in pitch black silence. That worked with Pete last time.

It was still too dark but she could recognize some shapes of cushions and blankets. The entire floor filled to the brim with them. Her night vision was lacking but her sense of smell could recognize the stench of old, rotten take out food. It's as if the residence of this place was just… gone.

"Jason? Jason you here? I need to ask you something!" Fillien yelled, looking for a yellow-black spotted gecko mutant. The know-it-all of the sewers was a mutated teen named Jason, one of Pete's friends. He was a selfish prick but Jason had to have seen Karai around right? But it looked like Fillien wouldn't get her answer. He wasn't around. "Oh great… do I have to wait for him."

Fillien felt for a pile of cushions. They were comfy enough…..

))))))))))))))) Brooklyn ((((((((((((

Just a little ways North, Karai continued her pattern of sneaking around to get to her destination. A Bridge to cross over to New York. She did end up finding it, but Karai found herself exposed in the open. A large round-about around a statue was the only thing between her and the bridge entrance just ahead. Ducking behind the base of the statue, Karai peaked around to see if there were Kraang around. Unfortunately, there was and much more.

A Kraang Patrol marched by. But this one made Karai's mouth gape open. Some patrols had four or five Kraang. This one had ten, in three rows, marching away from a barricade at the entrance of the bridge. Or was it a toll booth? There were stalls for Kraang to stand guard by while spaces in between allowed vehicles to pass through.

But why did the Kraang use cars? Don't they have flying machines? That's when she noticed what was driving these military-grade jeeps through. Were they… actual people? Karai noticed men in cargo colored clothing and a bulletproof vest. She couldn't see what their faces looked like with the helmet and ski mask, but they were human. Why did the Kraang not turn these guys into Kraang like creatures? Was it because they were from the government? The same guys that tried to stop the invasion. And somehow… No one outside of the city limits questioned what was going on here.

Karai noticed that the Kraang didn't check what the most likely mind-controlled human soldiers were bringing in their car. Perfect. Karai was finally getting an idea on how to cross to the main city. But she still needed to flesh out the plan. Where did the jeeps come from? Karai slithered on the ground, sticking low to avoid getting caught by Kraang who crowed the bridge. Being low she managed to follow some tire tracks. They went down a street before making a right into another. She noticed this street was out of view of the Kraang's barricade at the front of the bridge. If she could hop on another passing train of jeeps…

"Halt!"

That's the sound of Karai's luck running out for the night. Well, she made it this far. Karai turned around and gave a roar-like hiss at the group of Kraang behind her. Distracted by the sudden face-off, the Kraang realized too late the tail that Karai whipped back and forth to knock them into a wall. Some were even crushed. No time, Karai had to move. She slithered back south making her way through streets and alleyways.

))))))))))))))) Gecko's Hideout ((((((((((((

Fillien had waited hours. She knew the moon was about to go down and let the sunrise for the new day soon. But she couldn't walk out. She needed answers from Jason. Pete said the gecko boy didn't leave his little "batch pad" for too long. Either Jason didn't stay here anymore, or he had been caught by the Kraang. The boy was annoying but Fillien still worried for Jason. She hoped he had just reestablished himself somewhere else. But he would only do that if this place wasn't safe anymore.

The sound of metal footsteps began to echo around her, the source coming from deeper into one of the connecting tunnels. Many feet were closing in on her. "Kraang." The sewers weren't even safe anymore.

Fillien got up from her comfortable resting spot of a pile of pillows. Too bad she had to leave all this good cushion behind. But better to be free to find Karai another day. Fillien was going to start running out of the tunnel when the feet quickly went from a march to a run. It was followed by a high pitched yelp and then someone screaming, "Help!"

Fillien recognized that voice. It wasn't Jason or Karai, but it was someone she knew. She couldn't put a face or a name on it. All of a sudden a glimmer of light began to shine brighter as the source came from one of the connecting tunnels on her right. Her night vision was able to use the little light that came from it to show her the end of the tunnel had another tunnel passing through it. The source, running down that passing tunnel, finally came into view.

A pudgy sparrow as tall as a thirteen-year-old child held the source of the light; a glowing egg rooted at the top of a staff. And stopped to catch his breath. The mutant wore his normal green cloak with the hood on. But Fillien still recognized him and yelled out, "Malachi!"

He stopped and backed up to look down the other tunnel she was in. "F-Fillien?" He stammered as he saw her. "You're—"

Blaster fire came from around the corner. Malachi had to dodge back and forth on his good leg and his peg leg as best he could to avoid getting shot. Then he began to run towards Fillien and said, "It's the Gythyanki!" If the cloak wasn't a giveaway, his way of speaking like a Mazes and Mutants character would have done the trick. "Run, fellow phoenix, run!" This was probably his way of saying the Kraang were coming and he didn't want Fillien getting hurt.

Fillien ran to the bird boy as the Kraang rounded the corner and into the tunnel. "Keep running, Malachi! Don't worry and don't stop!" The bird nodded and did the best his little legs could carry him. As the Kraang got close, Fillien did too, jumping over the mutant sparrow and using her wings to push forward a gust of wind. It threw the Kraang off their feet instantly, but Fillien didn't wait to check. She ran back down to Malachi, catching up to him before he could miss the exit tunnel. "This way!" she yelled, pushing against his left side and forcing him to turn.

Soon the two were making their way out the tunnel, up a set upstairs to ground level and running along alleyways as the sun began to rise in the Horizon.

))))))))))))))) Coney Island ((((((((((((

Before she came across Coney Island, Karai made sure the Kraang lost her trail. Then she turned into her human form and crossed the street to the banner entrance of the theme park. The Comet Roller coaster was quiet save for the slight creaking of the floorboard beneath the metal base pipes. But instead of taking shelter in the small shed that had the controls, she went to what was behind the entire ride.

A giant building made of wood. She walked in through a door that said "Staff Area" at the front entrance window. Since it provided would-be staff with snacks, showers, and rest spots, Karai took advantage of the vacancy. She had made this lounge her home. She quickly went into the shower stalls and rinsed off for the night before going to the kitchen and finding any non-perishables to eat. Technically there were rats around to hunt, but she ha been pushing herself as far away from doing so as possible. If she was going to face her family soon, she had to be in control.

That's when the migraine kicked in and she suddenly remembered her last encounter with her father. In real life. In the sewers. Knocked out. After she had saved him. Part of her snake mutation wanted her to eat him right there and there. It made her terrified. The thought making her drop a jar of pickles on the counter. She covered her face and backed up into the wall, sliding down to sit with her legs to her chest.

Why of all times did she have to be separate from Fillien?

Karai had been going out every night to see how to cross to New York City, but she was always plagued by worries. Yes, she said she was ready back in Africa. But the closer she got the more worried she was. And without Fillien. And all these memories. Karai hoped her plan would work. If not… would she revert back?

* * *

**A.N: I could go longer but anymore and you'll be waiting a couple more days. So I messed up in the last story with Mondo gecko's name. He wasn't named that until he met Mikey. So I went back and fixed it in that story and properly placed his human name here. Would you look at that it's Malachi! Bet your butts I did my research into D&D to see which villain was a way to represent Kraang. Granted I never played so it's a wild guess. Also, what is this that Karai is experiencing? Any guesses? Find out more next. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	13. Chapter 11

**A.N: Sorry for late update, getting a roll on the GLTAS now, inotober, and getting ready for SPOOPY NIGHTS HEHEHEHEH. I'm making my own pirate costume this year yo!**

**Saibot: Ha! Too much Kraang, not enough space.**

**Enenra: Even on their own the duos is on action-packed missions of their own. **

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 11**

Managing to get to the safety of the abandoned apartment complex, Malachi and Fillien took a chance to catch their breaths. As soon as they were done, they immediately began to yell at each other.

"You're ok!" "You're Alive!" "I thought we were the only ones" "And to think there was no one left." "How did you avoid the Kraang?" "How are you not captured?" "What?" "Wait—"

"STOP!" Fillien finally yelled. "Ok, one at a time. You first."

"Ok, ok," Malachi said, one of his wings flapping up and down excited as his other hand tapped the end of this staff up and down on the floorboard. He was excited, "How did you not get captured by Kraang so far? You stand out. You're twice my size!"

Fillien smirked, "Like a phoenix, I remember what you call me. Karai and I left a couple of months back before things got worse. But even if size were a big give away, it's thanks to this place." Fillien motioned to the apartment lobby they were in. Fillien turned around and with a swish of her tail, motioned Malachi to follow.

The bird whistled and looked around. "It is nicer than where we're at. Feels more like a castle! And it looks like with the wooden boards…" He nodded towards the boarded-up windows, "…this place was already deserted. Kraang wouldn't think to look in here. You definitely rolled a nat 20 on stealth." Fillien didn't understand but she still took the compliment. The two had made it up to the second floor where Fillien's designated room was. She invited the bird to sit on the freshly stuffed mattress. He did as he asked, "But even so, why come back?"

Fillien heisted. Fillien and Karai met the bord boy before Karai found out about the truth of her lineage. And even then they didn't tell Malachi that they were part of a ninja clan… a deadly one at that. So the best Fillien could say at the moment was, "Karai needed to… reunite with her family."

"Oh, well, has she?"

"…. No…." Fillien admitted.

"Oh, well, understand. It seems all humans and their families have been transformed into Kraang Zombies. You still have each other. The knight and her phoenix steed."

"Kraang zombies," Fillien chuckled. Better to leave him thinking Karai's "human" family was a mutated instead of anything else. And she thought the name was clever. "I like that. But as for each other… what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You kept saying 'we' earlier. Have you been with someone?"

"Oh, I have? Yeah, I guess you can say I found a fellow magic wielder. Well in M&M she would be a sorcerer whereas I'm a warlock but she never played—Anyway she understands magic, in a more technical sense I guess. Ok well, she can wield magic where is mine is just illusion but she thinks it's cool—"

"Malachi,"

"Right, right, so her friends were turned into Kraang zombies. So I suggested that since we both liked magic and were alone, thought it best to stake out this invasion together. We even have our own… wait for it…" He waved his feathered fingers in the air, "Secret Lair…"

Fillien snorted. Thank goodness Malachi found someone to stay with. And who also had an affinity for magic. "So what are you doing out of your secret Lair? Shouldn't you be hiding from Kraang instead of being chased by them?"

"Ha-ah—" Malachi chirped before he realized she had a point. "Oh… Right… I should defintily thank you…" Then his eyes shifted all over the place before he yelled again, "Great Glux!" The sparrow fell back from his sitting position before getting quickly to his feet. "I have to get food still!" Malachi hopped to the window and peeked out between a wooden board. The sun was up already, giving view to a patrol of Kraang and their machines marching down a block away. "Oh man, that's the whole reason I came out here in the first place. Then the Kraang caught me fishing in a garbage can and chased me into the sewers."

"And you need to bring some extra food for your friend, too." Fillien finished for him. "Don't leave yet. I'll be right back."

As the cat stood up and walked out of the room, the bird turned back to face her to try and stop her, "Wait but I have to-! And… she's gone."

Malachi didn't have to wait for too long. Fillien came back with a bag of food in her mouth. "What?" Malachi squeaked in surprise.

The bird grabbed the bag in hand so Fillien could say, "I keep a stash a couple of floors down in a community kitchen. I also scavenge, but I keep any leftovers."

"But won't you need this someday? What about the knight?"

"Karai? Well… she's not here." Fillien finally said. "We got separated."

"Wait really? Why didn't you tell me? I can help."

"I've got this, Malachi. You and your friend should stay hidden. And scavenge more discretely." She emphasized the last bit.

"Hehe… yeah…" As Malachi began to walk out he suddenly remembered something and turned. To Fillien, "I still want to help."

"Look I—"

"Wait, not in that sense. What I mean is I have some information. You know best to avoid topside as much as possible. Stay here in Midtown as long as you can. You have to avoid the sewers. Especially the ones near Lower Manhatten and Chinatown."

"What why?"

"There's some crazy stuff happening near Chinatown but I don't know much about that situation. The one I know for sure is the fights happening in Lower Manhatten."

"Fights?"

"Rumor has it there are mutants down their creating sort of… entertainment hub. A lot of nasty mutants. But if you're looking for Karai…."

"I just might find her there."

**)))))))))))) Brooklyn ((((((((((((**

The coming night came time to enact Karai's plan. The Kunoichi looked at the turnstiles that lead into the park. She looked behind her, eyeing every attraction. From the funhouse to the games tents. This definitely was a good hideout she would use as a backup in the future. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that. She hoped the hideout Fillien was probably in would be better. And that meant… Fillien was ok.

Taking a deep breath, the snake girl got into her snake form and slithered through the streets of Brooklyn. When she got close enough to the entrance of the bridge, Karai waited around the corner of the crossing street. When the trucks started to come by. She hid behind a trash can. Calculating the perfect moment, Karai hopped on to the last truck in the lineup. It was a tent covered pick up, so she hid by laying down on the top of the tarp. In her human form of course.

Karai's plan was going exactly as she had wanted. All she needed was to stay unnoticed while the trucks crossed over to the other end of the bridge. There was undoubtedly another checkpoint at the entrance to the main city. But if no one, not then Kraang or the Kraang controlled men, then she would be fine. As she relaxed, she looked up at the sky and took in the detail for once. She definitely missed the skies of Kilimanjaro. There wasn't a lot of light or smug pollution. But she was still able to see some stars with this citywide blackout. It was pretty. What was also different was that this time… she was alone looking up at the stars.

"I'm coming, Fillien…" Karai whispered.

The entrance to the bridge was a sinch. She heard the robotic chatter saying every truck passing was all clear. And then there was the long trip over the bridge to the other side. Again she heard the sound of the Kraang talking in their bad English-structured sentences. She waited for the moment that the trucks would drive the main road and she could hope off. But before the trucks could pull out of the checkpoint and into the main city, she heard all too familiar voices.

"Hold it!" said one American male voice with a deep growl followed with it.

It was followed by another, a Brazillian male voice, saying, "Shredder want's us to check tonight's transports."

Really, tonight of all nights. A million curse words were spinning in Karai's head followed by some harsh memories. Karai closed her eyes and for some reason flew her hands to her eyes. She didn't want to see it because it would probably be followed by something she wouldn't recover from. But it was too light. Bradford and Xever were burned into her brain as she recognized their voices and suddenly saw the time when she was back in the foot.

Sure, there were times that weren't so horrible. They were like annoying brothers to her back then, mostly Bradford since he had been in the Foot clan as long as Karai could remember. Both of them, as humans and mutants, Bradford and Xever were a pain in the rear to handle in an entertaining way. When they weren't at each other's throats they were constantly on Karai and Fillien's case. Yet constant berating and fighting for high positions came with a few laughs. Pranks here and there and when it came to fighting enemies, laughing at the failures of the opponent was a great bonding experience. Just clanmate things.

But once Tiger Claw came into the mix and Karai started questioning her past things really got dark. The mutants were just doing their best to keep at Shredder's goods side and there wasn't even a shared joke among the remaining high ranked members anymore. And as soon as Karai found out here heritage Xever and Bradford were more than happy to treat her and Fillien like dirt. Happy to see her thrown in the dungeon by Shredder.

Karai was able to see herself back in those rough cobblestone walls even though her eyes were closed. The dark corridors. The sounds of creaking metal. The malicious look of Xever and Bradfords face. Followed by Tiger Claw. His roars were here in her memories and Karai desperately tried to get them out. One little memory led to another. How could she just stop… reliving these horrible memories. Why were they even coming back? She needed them gone, out, Forever! Karai took a risk and opened her eyes. She was still face-up on the truck staring at the stars.

Surprisingly that worked, she thought to herself. Then she turned her head left. She saw how the bridge turned into a large road that divided into three streets going left, right, and straight. The straight road went bellow and arch before continuing on down some business buildings. If she could stay hidden until the arch she was home free. Slowly, Karai rolled on to her stomach and began to crawl to the edge of the

All of a sudden a giant claw rose up over the left edge of the truck's tent, digging into the folds of the tarp. Karai shrank back in utter fear as Bradford's head peaked over the edge. "Thought I smelled…. Snake…"

* * *

**A.N: Run, girl, run! Or slither? Wow, boy this one took forever because I really had to plan out where everything is going to be in New York. From Shredder's hideout to Xever's underground fights. I want to try and keep to the map as accurate as possible. What better way for Fillien to find out about what's going on then from a reunion with a little bird. Probably not the one bird we want to know about but a friend anyway. And speaking of friends, who's Malachi talking about? And no, not Shinigami, it's too early in the story and she's not like nine years old. So next, will Karai get away from the mutants she once called allies? Find out next! I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	14. Chapter 12

**A.N: ALIVE! I'm alive. Same old, same old. Trying to write fanfics while avoiding my dad. It's a short chapter but I plan to make the next one bigger. **

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 12**

Karai growled as she stood up quickly on the top of the truck to look down at Bradford's werewolf-like zombie dog figure. He was still just fur with some bone visible, but his yellow eyes were glowing more fierce as he barred his jaws.

Xever then suddenly jumped up on top, his robot legs making a loud clank as he landed. Karai faced the fish mutant who looked ready to fight. Then he suddenly tensed up and asked Karai, "Wait? You're human again?"

"She's not entirely, look at her eyes," Bradford growled.

"But she was an entire snake before—"

"Doesn't matter!" And Bradford lunged. At that moment Karai turned into her snake form and bit into Bradford's arm. It was just the boney part so no venom got into his skin. But that didn't stop Karai from flinging her head back and having Bradford crash into a couple of Kraang that began to circle the truck.

Xever sighed and said, "I knew something was up…" Then he looked seriously at Karai and said, "How did you manage to get this lucky?"

LUCKY?! Even though Karai could transform back and forth… being part mutant was anything BUT lucky. In fact, the Foot Clan mutants were part of the reason she was like this. They followed Shredder's orders blindly. They didn't care if she was once allied with them. They only cared for themselves. The memory of being tied up and thrown into a truck became so vivid Karai closed her eyes and lashed her tail out to knock Xever off the truck. He also fell into a pile of Kraang along with some mind-controlled military men.

Karai gasped with her eyes going wide. Did she just give herself room to run? Noticing she had the whole open road ahead, Karai jumped off the truck and slithered as fast as she could away from the others. Bradford was the first to get up, plowing through some Kraang to start running on all fours after Karai. Xever then followed behind soon after.

When Karai looked back, she noticed it was only the Foot Clan mutants after her. The Kraang and their goons stayed behind. Karai would have tried to figure out why if Bradford's gaping jaws weren't hot on her tail. She went under the archway and across the street before deciding after a couple of blocks she should make a turn. She went right and then once out of the line of sight, she immediately made a left into an alley. As she coiled into the shadows of the alley, Bradford ran past it and down the street. But Xever didn't.

She heard rustling behind her. Looking back, a couple of garbage cans were shaking but all at once stopped. Thinking it was Xever who had somehow snuck around from the other end of the alley, Karai prepared herself. But it didn't come from there. She felt a swift kick get her right on the small of her back. She fell hard but she sat up quickly enough to his at whoever was behind her. It was Xever. She gasped and looked at him in awe. If he was there, who was that—

A kick to the face forced her back on the ground again, this time Xever stood on top of her. "Going somewhere, chica?" She tried to throw him off but she was completely pinned. Xever yelled out, "Hey, Perro! I got the girl!" If only she could turn around and bite his head off. Somehow… that thought came true. She felt… an extra set of jaws? They opened in the back of her head. Taking advantage she snapped her head back so that those new set of razors could bite into Xever. He yelled out in pain as Karai stood up and let the moment Karai Xever up and have her fall back on him. Now he was the one pinned down and feeling delirious for a few moments. It gave Karai time to let go over Xever and sit up to slither back.

Soon she was on her feet as a human, looking back at what she did. Rubbing the back of her skull she felt hair, but she wondered how in her snake form she was able to do that. And now of all times, she figured it out. What else could she do? A set of feet approached from the alley entrance and there stood Bradford. Seeing her in her human form, Bradford growled and charged, "You lucky—RAGH!" Karai had narrowly avoided his claws. Jumping up to grab hold of a nearby fire escape ladder. She climbed up quickly and began to run up the stairs with Bradford after her. Xever managed to recover in order to follow.

Then a dark figure crawled out from behind the trashcans and climbed up the shadowy walls of the alleyway. It left a glowing trail of ooze behind.

When Karai got to the roof, she felt home free. But in feeling a shadowy presence from behind, Karai dodged left, going into a roll and turning into her snake form as she did. She and her snakeheads for hands hissed at Bradford as he growled and hunched over with claws out. He lunged at her and so did she. The two collided mid-air, but Bradford was bit stringer that when they came straight down he was on top of her. Karai immediately used her tail to go between his legs and then come up from behind him. She grabbed hold of his neck and with a tight grip. She threw him off but he was only down for seconds before he was up again.

Karai sat up and shouldered him in the chest. He got a little bit winded but the punch wasn't hard enough so that he couldn't lash out his claws. Karai rolled away and tried to throw him off with her tail. Bradford caught it and used it to throw her up. But he didn't let go. Instead, he pulled her down and slammed her into the ground. And did so several times before she was nearly unconscious. Xever had come in at some point to get Bradford to stop. Karai laid their sprawled out with her ears ringing. She managed to hear Xever say, "…. in trouble…. almost killing her…"

"I wasn't…. but I want…." Bradford had responded. Suddenly it got real quiet. The two mutants were whispering. It gave Karai time to recover and see a shadow tackle the two Foot mutants down. Xever was thrown off the roof but Bradford managed to stay on. Karai looked up seeing Bradford familiar fuzzy figure fight a darker one. A couple of hits here and there before suddenly Bradford disappeared out of view.

The darker figure came up to Karai in time for her eyes to adjust again and her mind to clear. There in front of her was a Doberman mutant, yelling at her, "Get up, girly, we gotta go!"

"Breaker?!"

* * *

**A.N: Look who it is! And for those who don't know, Breaker is an OC mutant created by Kebarton! You could read about him on my DA or wait till next chapter. Pray to the gods of time to hopefully get it to you all by next week. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	15. Chapter 13

**A.N: A day late but extra long for you lovely readers. Also if you get notifications from the kats story don't worry. I'm still going back and make edits to FF**

**Nightmaster000: I loved all your reviews, especially your Kingdom Hearts reference ahaha. Let's hope I don't go full on Nomura and make a crazy train for a story ahhaha. Glad to see you all caught up**

**I don't own TMNT. Breaker belongs to Kebarton. **

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 13**

Karai coiled back away from Breaker. She may be a big giant snake at the moment, but with her head down as she recovered, the Doberman with cargo pants held the bigger presence. The fact that he was bipedal helped him stand tall over her. And his eku, a cricket-bat looking weapon with sharp metal-plated edges, was held tightly in hand ready to swing. Karai looked back with groggy eyes to see what he was ready to fight.

As soon as Karai saw Bradford get up from being thrown off the building, Breaker yelled, "I said COME ON!" he ran toward the edge of the roof with Karai slithering right behind him.

Bradford was charging right towards them. the Doberman sliced through a box-shaped energy generator. The entire thing came off the roof and flew in the air. As it came down Breaker jumped up and kicked it with both feet. It was a powerful enough kick that the generator flew like a comet and hit Bradford right in the chest. It forced him back to where he was thrown to earlier. And right into Xever who was just getting up.

This distraction gave the snake and the Doberman mutants enough time to jump down to the alley below and make a break for the inner streets of lower Manhatten. Once they took a right down Lafayette Street, Breaker slowed down. This made Karai slow down and wonder what he was up to. Breaker stopped just next to the fence by the sidewalk. It connected to two large buildings. "This way." He jumped right over it. Karai did two, finding herself landing on dirt. Not just there, everywhere. They were on a construction site. Yellow tape and orange cones still in place. Cranes and tractors left deserted. Shovels still sticking out from the ground.

Breaker stopped in the middle where the dirt slightly dipped into the ground. He held his hand up as if he were asking her to wait. His ears perked going in all directions. When he didn't pick up a sound, he sighed and said, "All right, those freaks are gone."

Karai nodded, thankful for his help for getting her out of that situation. But that was a nod out of instinct. Once she remembered who Breaker was she coiled back and raised her head high with a hiss. Breaker raised his pawed hands and said, "Easy, I'm no threat to you. You're not one of them anymore."

True, Karai was no longer affiliated with Shredder or the Foot. But back when she was, Breaker was just a human named Eugene. Breaker was something the Foot Clanners called him for being absolutely brutal during sparring sessions. Which was funny considering Shredder was ok with that until Breaker was coming back from patrols making unnecessary kills that compromised missions.

And worse, when Shredder finally had the last stray and kicked Breaker out, the former Foot Clanner vowed revenge on Shredder. It wasn't much of a threat which is why Shredder didn't tell anyone about it. That is until the Foot Mutants thought it would be a good idea to bring him back to experiment with the mutagen on. Now his powers truly were a threat and not just to Shredder and the foot. "I know… your power…" She hissed.

"I only turn humans into were-dogs with my bite. They've got nothing to start with so I give them a boost." That's when Breaker suddenly gave a sneeze and glowing snot came out and hit the floor. He snuffled and rubbed his nose, muttering, "stupid mutagen mucus…"

Karai still wasn't having it. She knew the truth. Fillien told her everything. It's how Karai knew this Doberman was Breaker right away even if she never saw him like this before. It was Fillien who told Karai specifically that he turned innocent people to be his mind-controlled rabid dogs. They weren't affiliated with the Foot, but he didn't care about them either. So what made Karai different to risk his neck for her back there? Breaker turned around and started to climb up a machine and up the neck of a crane. He called out, "What are you doing standing there? Daylight's coming. You don't want to get caught by the Foot or the Kraang."

He then jumped into an open window of a five-story building behind the construction site. With there being a window sill, he was able to grab hold and pull himself through. Karai contemplated on whether to follow him or not, but he did have a point. Maybe she could find out what he was really up to. She climbed up the machine and slithered up the neck of the crane. Once she was by the fifth-floor window, she jumped in with ease.

Looking in she found herself in a dark room with shelves filled to the brim with films. Karai wondered why anyone would leave a window open with these delicate strips here. That is until the sun began to fully rise and with more light coming in Breaker jump in. He stepped behind her and closed the blinds before turning on a low light. Getting a better view, she realized she was in the booth of a movie theater. The camera faced out the small window where Karai saw a huge screen. Down below were rows of seats. Empty and with food spilled all over the floor.

Feeling a bit more relaxed and curious, she let her snake form finally go away and walked around in her human form to look at the films. Breaker smirked and said, "Knew I saw you turn to a human earlier. I wish I had that power—" Is that what he was after? Karai looked at him wide-eyed, down to her hand, and then to him again with a hiss. Breaker raised his hands up again and said, "Hey, hey it was going to be a compliment. It's not like I can steal that shapeshifting ability from you."

Karai eased up a little but kept herself vigilant. What was up with Breaker? Being so nice to her. "You…. Never nicccceee."

"Hey, during practice sessions I never beat you up," Breaker reasoned.

"Never could," she added with a smirk.

Breaker growled and pointed a stubby finger towards her, "Don't test me, Hebi no shōjo, **(Snake girl**)." Karai smirked again. Her mind wasn't all there but she at least still had her way of getting information. He was being restraint, not nice. Why? Breaker turned around with a growl and went to a mini-fridge hidden next to the camera stand. He opened it and saw it was empty. "Ugh…. I'll get more tomorrow." Before Karai could ask, he said to himself, "I'm hungry anyway," And opened a door across the room from the window.

Karai peaked over his shoulder to see the door led him down the stairs to rows and rows of theater seats. They all faced a giant screen with food spilled all over the floor. Karai watched what Breaker was up to. Suddenly she heard it. Shrill squeaks. Rats!

Karai saw Splinter all of a sudden stand right at the foot of the door and Karai jumped back. She turned into her snake form and slithered into the corner. Her eyes darted everywhere, trying to see where her father went. All she saw now was fire all around her and Splinter wrapped in her tail. She was back in the science lab where she was mutated. She was going to try and eat Splinter again. the girl shook her head and attempted to run. She forgot that she was seeing things and rammed herself almost through a wall. She shook her head with a groan and looked up.

Breaker was at the door wiping blood from his mouth. "What just happened?" Karai looked behind him to the stairs leading into the theater. Breaker looked back and then said, "Ah, give me a break. There wasn't much food left when I found this place. I ate all that up and had to find an alternative. I'm sure you've been doing the same wherever you've been hiding." Karai shook her head and looked away. She had been eating real food in an attempt to get rid of the need to kill. And if she had to hunt she wouldn't hunt… well. Breaker laughed, "Yeah right, well good luck with that streak because you'll be going hungry."

Karai narrowed her eyes but kept her sights to the wall.

**)))))))))))))))))) Foot Clan Hideout ((((((((((((((((**

"How did she manage… to change?" Shredder asked in his usual, threatening tone. It was so deep, the windows that made up the walls of the Great Hall seemed to shake. He was looking down from his stone throne at the poor, unfortunate souls that were kneeled on the cement walk bellow him. This time it was Xever and Bradford. They had just finished their report on what they saw on their patrol that night.

Even though they had not been able to capture Karai, the news about her special transformation was what saved them a beating. Bradford finished, "She was just able to transform between the two with ease. But rest assured, I will still be able to track her. Her scent does not change when she's in either form. Their last trace was in lower Manhatten so we will start our search again first thing—"

"Their?"

Xever added, "Breaker was the one to have stopped our near capture of her. It seems they are allied now."

Shredder thought on this for a quick moment before saying, "If you find Breaker, kill him." There didn't seem to be more to be said, so Shredder finished, "You are both dismissed." Feeling a sense of relief for surviving a poor report, Bradford and Xever quickly hurried out. They whispered among themselves. "Think when we bring the girl in Baxter can find a way to give is that shapeshifting power too?" Xever asked.

"If I were you, just focus on making the boss happy and bringing her in first."

Once the sliding doors closed behind them, Tiger Claw appeared out of the shadows. A hiding spot just next to a decorative rock feature. He walked down the cement path as he said to Shredder, "You were right, Master Shredder. I did think too soon that Karai had been turned fully human again when I last saw her." He stopped at the steps and asked, "What does that mean for our plan when we do capture her?"

"The plan will remain the same. Baxter must have done something different to the mutagen she fell into. Whether she is fully mutant or just half, Baxter can still turn her completely human again."

"We will need test subjects. Why not this…. Breaker?"

"You have never heard or seen of him. All you should know is that he seeks vengeance on me. He will only strengthen Karai's anger aginst me the longer she stays with him."

**)))))))))))))))))) Theater ((((((((((((((((**

As the rising sun turned to morning, Karai remained as a snake coiled up in the corner of the projection room. Being around Breaker, Karai knew best then to let her guard down. But the entire time Breaker had been watching a movie after he put a film strip into the camera projector. He sat in the theater and watched the screen never once making a move. Around noon he finally slept in a makeshift bed he made out of cardboard boxes.

That's when Karai's body relaxed enough for her to fall prey to sleep. Since coming back from Africa she hadn't had her weird dreams with Splinter. Right now Karai really needed just see him. In a place where she is her pure human self. In control. But when she woke up with the coming night, she realized like all these last few nights in New York…. she hadn't dreamt him. She growled. Why did she have to see him in her memories that came when she was awake? Even if the good memories came, they followed with the bad ones. And she couldn't control herself in the real world.

Granted she wasn't a mindless monster. Yet. The last thought made her shiver. What if leaving was the best thing? She was starting to act as if she never left New York. If all that training to control herself for when she got back was for nothing, then how would she ever reunite with her family. If Karai was already nervous about that meeting, then she felt her anxiety double now.

When the moon rose for the coming night, Karai heard Breaker wake up with a loud yawn. As he sat upon his bed, his back left leg came up to give his left ear a good scratch. Then he was on his feet and grabbing his eku in hand. He tapped it on the ground once before walking by Karai and opening the window. Breaker looked out to survey the area. A Kraang Walker, a giant tank on feet, was marching past the street in front of the construction site. But it seemed to not notice him or the light from his window as it marched by.

In fact, "Slow night."

Karai, un-coiled and went up to the window. Her human form taking shape. She saw more than the walker when she looked outside. There were a couple of stealth ships in the distance, and on top of a tall building, a little ways away was a group of Kraang patrolling. "Sssslow?" Karai asked sarcastically.

"Trust me…. this is slow compared to most instances." Breaker jumped out of the window and landed on the top of the construction crane.

Karai asked, "Where to?"

"I need to restock on a couple of drinks," Breaker said as he hoisted his eko to rest on his shoulders.

Karai looked back at the projection room wondering what he could be talking about if all he said he had was rats. Then she remembered the mini-fridge. She looked back at him with a raised eyebrow

"Come on, a guy has gotta live a little during the apocalypse," Breaker argued. "And if you don't eat rat you gotta eat something. There's a mini-mart not far from here. I'll get you something."

Wait, he was going out for her, too? And leaving her behind? As Breaker slid down the crane with ease, Karai realized she just about had enough. She was going to get answers.

Breaker landed perfectly in a crouch on the dirt ground of the construction site. He didn't expect the loud thump behind him and the dirt flying around him. Looking back he saw Karai in her snake form eyeing him intently. "You're coming? All right but it's not going to be easy. Don't say I didn't warn you when we bump into some Kraang."

She never said a word. In fact, the entire time she was silent as she and Breaker made their trek down the empty streets. Well, empty as in no cars or people. Sometimes they had to duck in the shadows with an oncoming Kraang patrol. But when it was all clear it was smooth sailing. They got to the mini-mart Breaker talked about without a hitch. Going in from the backdoor, the mutants stepped into the small space. The aisle had been toppled over with snacks all over the floor. Probably from people in a panic the day of the invasion. Some food had been spoiled, but being a mini-mart all the preservatives remained intact.

Karai picked up a small pack of beef jerky and smiled. She had been in a mini-mart a couple of times since coming to New York with the Foot Clan. But only one instance stood out to her the most. She reminisced how she tried to make Fillien happy when the newly formed cat mutant was training herself too hard. To get the cat to relax Karai had them both break into a store like this. Karai remembered the thrill that came with it after. Running from the cops, Karai getting on Fillien's back for the first time and even flying for the first time.

Breaker's voice broke Karai out of her thoughts. "I think you should stay in your snake form. We could get caught and we got to be ready."

Karai wondered what he was talking about. She was in her snake form. Karai looked down. Her body had changed from snake to human while she was daydreaming. How did she do that without knowing?

Breaker grabbed a bag from behind the cashier's counter and stuffed a couple of snacks and drinks. Specifically drinks in clear bottles. Again Karai gave Breaker the raised eyebrow. "Oh quit it and grab what you need." Karai huffed and looked around. It was just snacks, nothing too filling. Well, better that then rats. Without another thought, Karai gabbed a couple of jerky packs and some water bottles before putting them in a bag with straps. She hoisted the back on her back and the straps around her shoulders so that when she transformed into her snake form, the bag was still there.

Suddenly a shadow loomed outside the windows of the store. "Duck! It's a Walker!" Breaker hissed from his spot behind the counter. Karai jumped behind a banner stand before peaking out. The giant machine on legs lumbered by with a couple of Kraang patrolling on foot. Karai hoped they didn't think to look inside here.

All of a sudden, red lights flashed inside the mini-mart. The alarm had been set off. Why, why did Karai have to jinx it? Or maybe she didn't. She looked to Breaker but he was standing on the counter and said, "Damn. Either someone tripped the alarm or there is faulty wiring in this place." He jumped down from the counter and said, "We gotta run."

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**A.N: On the run again? Seems like this is going to be a thing…. or is it? who set the alarm? And what is Breaker up to being nice to Karai? So many questions! See you all next week with the answers. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	16. Chapter 14

**A.N: OOF! I'm on a role with this story! Got another long one at a good posting time too.**

**Nightmaster000: Ah yes, I can definitely say that Breaker believes in the enemy of my enemy is my friend…. or maybe a friend is not the right word XD.**

**Saibot: No worries I understand, I know I've been busy**

**Enenra: OOOH COSPLAY! That sounds awesome, I hope you guys have/had fun at the event.**

**I don't own TMNT. Breaker belongs to Kebarton.**

**(Translation)**

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**CHAPTER 14**

Karai and Breaker bolted for the backdoor of the min-mart, but the door exploded in their face. They were pushed back onto the floor with dust flying everywhere. Before it cleared, the two mutants heard the mechanical charge up of the Kraang's blaster rifles. No hesitation. The two were up and running away from blaster fire. They even took the risk and ran out the front door where the other Kraang were waiting. They had their blaster's ready and fired.

Breaker and Karai dodged in opposite directions on the sidewalk to avoid getting hit but Breaker ran into the path of the Kraang Walker. Karai had managed to avoid getting hurt when crossing the streets to an alley, but seeing Breaker trapped between the Walker and the Kraang make her stop. She hesitated, wondering if she should help. Her eyes then landed on a trashcan.

Breaker stood tall as he growled at the walker on his left and the Kraang on his right. All of a sudden a trashcan rolled onto the street and into the middle of the walker's path. Even though the giant tank managed to crush it somewhat, it still managed to lose balance and tilt forward. And with some winter ice still on the street, the walker began to slip and try and gain stability by tilting back. Breaker and the Kraang watched the giant tank on feet fail in trying to gain its footing. All it did was crash into a building across the street. It made a huge dent with bricks falling to the ground. Stuck in the walls, the Kraang Walker laid there against the wall with feet still on the ground.

That's when Karai appeared. She slithered out and wiped her tail out to hit a couple of Kraang droids. Without the protection of the 'human' camouflage, the metal droids were cut clean in half from the brute force. The Kraang creatures that controlled them knew it was unrecoverable and they left their place in the droid's chest. Their brain-like forms scurrying away in fright. Karai went after some more Kraang

Breaker smirked and dropped his bag of drinks and his eku. He lunged after a couple of other Kraang by pinning one to the ground. He pulled the actual Kraang creature out from the chest by using his mouth. Like a chew toy Breaker shook the Kraang in his mouth, the squeals coming from it being sounds of pain. When he had enough, Breaker threw the Kraang into the cement ground. The Kraang never moved a puddle of purple liquid formed around it along with some ooze from Breaker's mouth. Breaker wasn't fazed and he moved on to the next.

Karai used her snakeheads for hands and grabbed two droids to smash them together. With them stunned she just tossed them to the side and carried on. She grabbed one Kraang with her mouth and threw it into another Kraang. The droids toppled but they got back up. Breaker noticed this, dropping another Kraang creature from his mouth and yelled out, "Come on! You got soft! If we want to make them fear us, you gotta commit!" He jumped at another, pulling its metal arms off so that it was defenseless before throwing the droid to the ground and punching the Kraang creature repeatedly.

Karai stopped and looked around. She noticed that more Kraang droids were coming after her then Breaker. They didn't want to mess with him because they didn't want to become dog chow. She seemed the weaker target. But Karai wasn't looking for a fight. She just wanted out of here. Suddenly the sound of bricks falling was heard and Karai looked back to see the Kraang Walker recover from being toppled over and fire ups its weapon. Karai jumped away as electricity, like a bolt of lightning, came out of its turret gun.

Breaker went and grabbed his eku he put down early and went running towards the walker. He held it down to his side, the metal tip scrapping the ground to create sparks. Then he jumped high that he landed on Karai's shoulders. She was a bit surprised but made no move as Breaker used her to springboard up and then swipe at the leg of the Kraang's machine with his weapon. When he landed behind it the walker stopped firing. Then the right leg began to split apart so that when the entire leg fell, the rest lost balance and followed. It went forward, crashing through the roof of the mini-mart.

Breaker quickly grabbed the bag of drinks he dropped and jumped over the legs of the walker. "Home free!" He made a break for the street with Karai following behind. But by then the Kraang that ambushed them from the backdoor of the mini-mart finally came around to join the fight. Forced to stop, Karai and Breaker found themselves cornered again. This time between the oncoming Kraang and those that were escaping from the walker wreckage. The mutants didn't notice the surviving Kraang until once droid shot a blast to hit Karai in the back.

Feeling heat behind her, Karai ripping off the bag on her back and then threw it down. She was thankful it protected her from the back, but once she noticed the burning jerky, her sight clouded with red. She was absolutely tired of having everything taken away from her. Her humanity, her friend… and now her food! Her rage was all she felt, the rage making her feel angry about everything. Especially her anger towards Shredder. And that's what she saw in front of her now…. the Shredder…coming at her.

The Kraang that had surrounded the mutants suddenly began to step back, one droid yelling, "We must do what is known as … RETREAT!" and they were out of there.

That snapped Karai out of her daze, making her shift automatically into a human and looking at her hands dripping purple. Then she looked horrified at the torn-up Kraang creature on the cement ground. She couldn't believe she did that. All the snake girl wanted was to just get away. Remain calm. Not loose control. Karai looked away in shame. But that changed when Breaker began to laugh. "See! I knew you still had it!" Karai looked at him confused so he explained. "Are you really that dense? You know this is the only way to survive out here. Kill or be killed. You got to be tough."

Karai was about to retort but she held her tongue. Looking down at her burned up bag of jerky, she thought about what he said. Maybe he was right. At least for now, she could let the beast out on some spontaneous occasions. With this invasion and the Foot after Karai, she had to be smart and cunning. Establish dominance. That's the word. Like Breaker, she had to make the Kraang fear her. No one would mess with her and she would have more time to worry about finding Fillien.

Then Breaker said, "I mean, it also helps get the stress out, you know?" Karai didn't have time to think much of that last comment before the Doberman said, "Hey, do I smell burning."

Karai picked up her burning bag of jerky.

"No not that." Then he looked at the fallen Kraang Walker. "Oh, that." Then he took off down the street. Karai looked back and noticed that the impact of the fallen tank broke a gas pipe and sparks started to fly from a broken wire.

Karai ran after Breaker just before the entire minimart exploded into flames. Breaker gave out a howl of laughter as Karai giggled.

**)))))))))))))) One Week Later (((((((((((((((**

Fillien had taken her search for these so-called underground fights on almost every corner of lower Manhatten. But she had no such luck locating it. It shouldn't have been this hard. All she had to do was look in the sewers, right?

Where else could underground fights be located?

Fillien stopped to take a break by sitting on a building overlooking where Lower Manhatten met Chinatown. She smiled at all the shenanigans for memories that came out of this place. Back when she and Karai were in the Foot, the two would do their own solo patrols around this area. They would fool around and make the rooftops their own obstacle course. They'd choke around and just talk the night away knowing no one was around. After all, this place was close to where the Foot hideout should be.

A shiver ran down Fillien's spine. There was a thought that had been lingering since she had gotten separated from Karai. What if Tiger Claw got her? Or she was eventually caught by Bradford or Xever. She looked down at a small street where Lower Manhatten connected to Chinatown. Unlike the major road, this one was dark and shadowy. Even when there were people around, no one walked down here. Fillien took off into the air and followed the road until she spotted what she was looking for.

She hopped down to the roof of a building across from the Footclan Hideout before laying low on her belly. He watched how quiet the entrance was, but knew better than to just assume no one was home. The next patrol should start soon. After a good hour, her waiting paid off. Out walked Bradford and Tiger Claw. They seemed to be talking to each other about something. So as they took a stroll towards Lower Manhatten, Fillien followed listened in.

**))))))))))))))))) Theater Hideout ((((((((((((((((**

Karai looked at the view of the Lower East Side from the roof of Breaker's hideout. The plus side of it is that she had time to watch it along with the setting sun as she sat relaxed in her human form. Then again, she had been doing this almost every day of the week.

She would come out here after a good long sleep and get some time to herself before Breaker woke up along with the night. She needed this space and time. And it helped since the light gave her warmth and melted the snow on the roof little by little each day. It made her feel more... like a person. She frowned thinking about the last couple of nights. She and Breaker would go out during moon high and run errands. And somehow, no matter what, the Kraang would find them. It would force her to go feral, tearing into the Kraang droids and going for little brains in the chest area.

Yes, it was a way to strike fear and make sure the Kraang don't notify any others. But still, part of Karai really didn't want to. She didn't know why. She was supposed to be used to it since she was raised an assassin. And then there was the thrill. She didn't know how much she missed being able to take liberty and just…. well… finish the job. Her snake side definitely enjoyed it. Heck, she smiled when Breaker cheered her on. She could let the bent up energy lose for once. But there was just something….

For sure Karai had to be focused on finding Fillien, but every night bumping into Kraang patrols made it harder for her to even leave the East Side. She was stuck with Breaker for now. Which was worse because Karai still hadn't figured out why he was being generous. And he wasn't helping her control her monstrous attacks, just pushing her to do more harm than good.

On her left, just at the edge of the roof, a black pawed hand appeared. With it came Breaker as the Doberman mutant hoisted himself up and walked over to her. He had two glass bottles in hand. "Here, something to fuel you before we head out." He handed her a bottle. She grabbed it without thinking. Yep, there was also that. She hardly ever drank, but to avoid this feeling of dread, well…. Karai popped the cap off and took a sip.

Breaker opened his and almost gulped it down as he walked around her and stood on her left. As he watched the last of the light in the sky give way to the black of night, the dog said, "We could check that pizza place. Maybe there's some… leftover pepperoni bits? I could go for a snack like that. It's not our usual route but I know there is less Kraang."

Karai put her half-empty bottle down on the edge of the roof and looked on. "Whatever…." Kraang or no Kraang, Karai had no choice but to go out with him, right?

The pair of mutants started their night routine on schedule. Karai let Breaker lead since he was taking her on a new route. Soon they made it to the edge of the Lower East Village and were about to hit the community dubbed by New Yorkers as Alphabet City. They found a local grocery store that had half of its story still standing. Karai guessed the day of the invasion the Kraang must have blown up the other half with their giant lazars.

But just as they were about to cross the street, Karai and Breaker had to duck behind a magazine stall. They watched as a heavily armed Kraang patrol marched by. It had two walkers with at least thirty Kraang Droids on foot. Karai hissed, "You ssssssaid….. no Kraang."

"Barely any Kraang," Breaker hissed. "emphasis on barely."

They wanted to wait until the Kraang were gone but instead, they stopped. The Walkers were then ordered to patrol the streets surrounding the grocery store while the Kraang stood in a file at the small parking lot upfront. Great…. "No fffffood tonight."

"No, no. We can make this work," Breaker told her as he waved a furry paw. "We just got to take them on when they start to disperse in groups."

What?! Karai wanted to yell. Take them all on? How? They were outmatched and they only came for food. Hold on a second- "Disssspersssse?"

Breaker rolled his eyes. "Yeah, they disperse when they go looking,"

"Ffffor what?"

Breaker grumbled. "I don't know. I never stay hiding long enough to find out why."

"Don't know…. How long?"

Now Breaker just had it. "Would you stop asking questions and get ready to fight?"

As Breaker drew his eku out, Karai twitched at a harsh memory of Shredder. He was standing over her as she kneeled. He said to her in a threatening tone, "Do you question me, daughter?"

Karai stepped back to stand with back to the wall. She forced herself to try and forget that memory when she heard Breaker hiss, "No, no don't lose control now. Save it for the enemy."

Karai blinked her eyes opened and seethed at Breaker. Was he for real?! It's like he actually wanted to get caught and get in a fight.

Suddenly, it felt like a storm was parting away in Karai's mind. He DOES want to fight! It made sense now. Every time they went out they bumped into the Kraang. And just like now Breaker knew where to look. The Kraang came looking for something but Breaker never let them finish because he was too busy wanting to take on a whole army. Karai was already furious but instead of asking that question furiously, she asked another question as calmly as she could.

Karai whispered slowly, "Which enemy?"

"You know. The Kraang." Then Breaker faltered a bit when he added, "And… others… maybe." Karai tried to think about who else would be Breaker's enemy—

The snake girl's eyes went wide as she immediately turned into her snake form and used her tail to whip it out and lame it into Breaker. Like a rocket, he and the magazine stand went flying out into the street in almost a blur. The stand crashed into several wooden pieces along with Breaker hitting the cement hard. The crash made all the Kraang, even the Kraang Walkers, stop what they were doing and face the events just across the street.

There, Karai slithered out and hissed ar Breaker before yelling, "Used me! You! Not just Kraang. Kill Shredder… for you!"

Breaker coughed as he got up and grabbed his eku. "Fine! So you know why I need you! I want to kill the Shredder myself but I can't do it alone. I heard as soon as you left Shredder you tried to go back and kill. I bet as a snake you want him dead as much as anyone. You can't do that by going soft. You need practice and it's right here!" He pointed to the Kraang slowly coming after them.

Karai couldn't believe it. She fell for it… again! She was being used and to take revenge on someone. Yes, this revenge had more of a … valid reason… in Karai's opinion but she was still being used by someone else. And she was also being forced to fight an enemy she didn't need to fight at the moment. No, no she couldn't fall through. Especially not like this. Not like a puppet and not by killing Kraang. She would turn into a mindless savage puppet and Karai was WAY over that.

The only way to avoid it was to not fight. And so, Karai turned around and fled with her mind still in a frenzy. Breaker yelled after her before he had to try and get away from the attacking Kraang. Karai never knew what happened to him after and she didn't care. She just slithered away. Far, far away! She didn't know where with all these buildings whizzing by she had to just go, run, FLEE!

Karai found an abandoned car to hide in Noho. She could have gone farther but her mind wasn't letting her. All those memories of Shredder coercing Karai to do things she questioned. To kill out of fun when deep down she knew there was something wrong about it. It was wrong… bad…very bad. But now there was the lingering feeling. Kill… the need… to hunt. Fight. Hide. Karai panicked. Breaker's actions had triggered something in Karai. Her thoughts… were coming short. Small. Almost…. Nothing. last time she thought like this she had just been mutated.

Karai was reverting back!

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**A.N: Good job, Breaker, Your selfishness caused you to lose an ally and make her go almost feral again. Oh btw! I don't know if you guys noticed but I've been trying to stay accurate to the NY map to give the story a bit of realism. I got tired of just making up street names honestly. So I gotta get going but more will come next week! I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	17. Chapter 15

**A.N: Late update since I didn't get to it last week so I'll go straight to it and answer reviews next week.**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

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**CHAPTER 15**

If boredom was a talent, Fillien was succeeding at it.

She had been following Bradford and Tiger Claw since the sun had set. All they had done was patrol Lower Manhatten and most of Midtown. They barely talked. They only exchanged a few words about a baseball game they saw on television before they split up to cover more ground.

Fillien would fly between the two mutants to keep herself occupied. She would hide behind structures so that she could follow one mutant without being spotted before she moved to the next. But it was all Fillien could do to entertain herself while trying to get information from them. She was easily getting bored flying back and forth and still didn't know if the Foot Clan had Karai.

Around midnight Bradford and Tiger Claw came together and started to head towards Chinatown. Fillien sighed in defeat, thinking they were going to stop for the night and turn in to the hideout. But as the catgirl turned away from the advertisement board she was hiding behind, she overheard Bradford say, "Man I know what could be better than a Yankees game. How about a fight down below?"

Fights below? Fillien turned back to the board and peeked around to see Bradford and Tiger Claw walking over to the next roof. The tiger said, "I'm not entirely sure it's a good idea to be down there."

"You went to the underground fights last week," Bradford replied. "You didn't think it was a bad idea then."

Fillien smirked. She couldn't believe it. These two knew about the fights! Maybe they were part of the show. Maybe if she followed them, they could lead her to Karai.

"The situation wasn't as dire to Shredder back then."

"Do you really wanna go all night looking?"

Fillien had moved from behind the board to behind a roof shed when there was a pause from Tiger Claw. The catgirl peaked around the corner in time to see Tiger Claw and Bradford had stopped at the edge of the other roof. That's when Tiger Claw finally said, "Fine. One hour. Then we got back to looking for Karai."

Fillien's heart sank. So they hadn't been patrolling. They've also been looking for Karai as well. The Foot Clan didn't have her. Before she thought this to be a lost cause, she heard Badford say, "I wonder what sorry mutant they caught this time to be in the fights."

Caught? So they didn't just enter themselves into the fights they had others do it for their entertainment. Sick…. But maybe fortunate fro Fillien. Maybe if they caught Karai, Fillien would be down there to save her. So as the two Foot mutants jumped off the roof, so too did Fillien while sticking to the shadows.

Turns out the door to the underground fights was manhole cover near Washington Park in Lower Manhatten. As soon as Tiger Claw and Bradford disappeared into a manhole, Fillien waited a few moments from behind her trashcan hiding spot before stepping out. Once in the sewer tunnel, she began to follow the scent of the Foot mutant.

She went walking for a few minutes before making it to a hole in the curved wall on her right. She looked in and saw a large subway tunnel. It was wide enough for three cars even there were only two tracks. The scent of Bradford and Tiger Claw went right through here. She could only guess it ended at the other end of the subway tunnel where a part of the wall was covered by a tarp. And the faint sound of laughter was heard.

Quickly crossing the tracks to the tarp, Fillien poked her head through by pushing aside the tarp with her head and looking in. There was a small room that looked like some sort of workroom with lockers and chairs. There was an actual door just across from the tarp she poked her head through. Light on her feet, Fillien pressed forward and hid just by the door frame to peak into a bigger room with the real action.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Several mutants were all sitting on makeshift elevated seats in front of large windows. Almost as if they were sitting in a stadium looking out through a special viewing area. On the other side of the window was a large space with walls full of pipe entrances and large tunnels connecting to it. This had to be the underground fights. The audience had turned a whole flood control center in the sewers into their own entertainment arena. No wonder she couldn't find it. Usually, these places are sealed off.

As she looked around, she noticed the kinds of mutants down here. Of course, there was Bradford and Tiger Claw. They were by a water dispenser at the left side of the room chatting in secret. Then there were rogues she had seen before like the tall weed walking on two stumpy legs and arms like venus fly trappers. Snakeweed, right? He called out to someone by a counter at the right end of the room. "Hey! gecko! Get over here, I'm starving!"

Fillien gasped. Jason came into view on his skateboard wearing his normal black shorts and shirt along with his sneakers and trucker hat. He disappeared behind the front side of the seats. Fillien noticed Snake Weed grab something from him before he scarfed it down. Then Jason maneuvered around the seats and skated to the other side from the back end. He was carrying a tray of food. Fillien shook her head. Again, Jason was a prick but he shouldn't be down here. He wasn't as bad as these guys. Then again, she didn't recognize all the mutants and had no idea how bad they were.

She saw a giant spider on small stumpy feet and the spider legs came up from the top of its head. Then there was… was that a slice of pizza with a face? Surprisingly, that wasn't the most shocking of the audience members. Humans. Actual human men were in the seats.

Given how they were dressed in nice grey or black suites they had to be mobsters. Fillien just had to guess though. Her only experience was with the Griffes League because they were more than a gang with a dress code. And if these were mobsters, it would explain how they have managed to avoid turning into Kraang mutants. They kept to the dark just as much as mutants.

But knowing what this audience was capable of left Fillien with a question. How was she going to find out they had Karai if all of these people, humans and mutants alike, could kill her? Some won't know who she is, but as soon as those who did call her out from this crowd…. If she could just get to the one she could trust the most. Jason maybe. And without being recognized by the other. Fillien looked around in the locker room she was in. There must be a way in. Fillien spotted an open locker with a coat hanging inside.

A speaker was heard throughout the room, "Spectators! Take your seats! We will begin shortly."

Everyone who had been standing began to take their place the elevated seat, looking towards the window. Jason put down the tray on a counter and rested his skateboard on the wall before taking a seat next to a mutant on the top row of seats. He watched as, from the other side of the window, Xever came down from an opening in the ceiling of the arena. He held on to a thick wire on one hand so that he held the microphone attached to it in the other

Hanging over the middle of the arena, Xever said into the microphone for all to hear. "Ladies and Gentlemutants! Tonight's fight brings us face to face with creatures unlike any other! In Mr. X's Fight to the Death Deathathon 1000!"

From Jason's left, he heard a familiar female voice say, "Pfft, of course he came up with this idea... and a name like Mr. X…." Jason took a quick look, seeing a feline mutant wearing lab coat, but he took no heed as he wanted to see what happened next in the arena.

A door like one made for a garage began to slide open. But before it could even open wide enough, giant squirrel mutants pushed their way through the opening. They began to run around the large square space in a frenzy as if they were aliens on the hunt. Their skinny elongated hands and feet somehow able to keep up with their large eggplant shape heads as their fluffy tails flicked nervously. Jason gagged, seeing how soulless their glowing green eyes were.

"Boy, do I hate those things…" the female feline whispered. Jason looked again at the feline, this time taking in more detail. Her muzzle was visible but she wore aviator goggles over her eyes. She had another set but it was only used as a way to hold a white sheet of cloth that went over her head and to the back of her neck like a wedding veil. She wore a lab coat that looked tight on her since the sleeves only made ti past her shoulders. And her paws were more animalistic then they were humanoid. The coat itself must have been to hide more than her back because it looked lumpy as she hunched over. Who was this newcomer to the fights?

Xever, who stayed safely high in the air hanging from the microphone wire, said, "The disgusting but deadly Mutant Squirrels! They may be vicious and mindless, but that's not even the worst of it. For tonight, we have something a little different for you all. An opponent willing to fight… to the end."

There was a chorus of shock and awe among the mutants and humans in the audience. That never happened, so Jason wondered who'd be crazy enough to be the first willing fighter. Another door across from the one the squirrel mutants came through began to slide open. The anonymous fighter was in the shadows before walking out into the light of the arena. Everyone, even humans, gasped. All knew who they were and what they were capable of.

Xever yelled, "You all know him as New York's resident werewolf. A man with no chains. BREAKER!"

As soon as the squirrels froze mid-run around and looked at Breaker, Xever finished with, "Are you ready?! Let's go! LUTA! **(FIGHT**)" The squirrels didn't hesitate and went for the kill, which they had no chance at. Breaker brought out his Eku and not blinking an eye he sliced at the first one that came at him. The other two mutants stopped in their tracks to watch their comrade fall. Mouth open and eyes open but no movement. Breaker smirked.

As the dog and the other surviving squirrels began to fight, Jason looked away. He hated these fights. They should do something else, like race. That would be more entertaining. As he looked away he noticed something more about the mutant feline. She wasn't humanoid she was a quadruped. No wonder he couldn't see her back legs because they were hidden under the lab coat as she sat down hunched over. She was also hiding her tail and… wings tips. Wait, a cat with wings? "Kitty Cat?"

"Like I said," the feline began with a low growl before turning to him, "Call me that again and I'll bite… hard."

Jason began to panic. He looked around widely, seeing each mutant and human engrossed in the fight before whispering, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you that. You don't belong with creeps like these."

"Hey, they're not creeps," Jason defend before something happened in the fight for one mutant to yell out every curse word in the dictionary and through a glass bottle at the window. Thankfully it didn't break. "Ok fine," Jason admitted. "They aren't radical dudes to hang out with but we're all mutants trying to fend for ourselves almost daily. We got to have some kind of fun."

"By mauling each other?" Fillien said unconvinced. "You're a teenage kid who loves nothing more than his skateboard. Why are you really here?"

Jason huffed and leaned over to rest his head on the palm of his hand. "Ok, ok, so I hate it. Big deal. No one here cares." Then he raised his head and pointed to Xever who walked in from a door by the water dispenser. "But, hey, Mr. X was the one who offered me a place to stay after the Kraang chased me out of my hideout. He's been real nice about taking in strays."

"Real nice, huh," Fillien snorted.

"Yeah. What you got a problem with him?"

Fillien slightly stepped back. "Wow, you're really not joking. Ok well… I'm not here to change your mind. But word of advice…" Fillien looked at Xever as the fish took a sip of water from the dispenser as the crowd went wild over the fight. "Don't believe everything Xever says."

The Gecko and the Cat watched Tiger Claw march up to Xever, but they couldn't hear when the Tiger said, "You knew where Breaker was? And you didn't tell us? He was the last one seen with Karai—"

The fish replied, "I can assure you I had no idea where he was until an hour ago. He suddenly came up to me demanding to get in on the fights. I told him he could do it for a price. Information."

Whiskers twitching, Tiger Claw caught on. Crossing his arms he asked, "What did he tell you?"

"Apparently Karai hid with him willingly in the last week until tonight she decided to leave."

"Why?"

"He wouldn't say. He got real angry about it. I just asked where she went. She headed toward midtown but that wasn't too long ago. For all he knows, she's still in the lower east side."

"He's still a threat even though she's no longer with Breaker."

"Maybe, but as long as he gets a little steam out by hurting someone else…" He looked to the window and so did Tiger Claw. They watched as he gave the killing plow to another squirrel mutants. He had one more to go. Xever finished, "Then I wouldn't tell Shredder, would you?"

Tiger Claw growled and leaned forward, "These may be your fights… but remember your place in the Foot Clan."

Xever took a step back and gave a nervous smile, "Hehe… right…"

Tiger Claw crapped the cup of water from his hand and said, "You're lucky we have an update on Karai's whereabouts or I wouldn't let you and Breaker slide this easy." As he went back to sit next to Bradford who was at the front set of seats, he noticed the dog mutant sniffing the air. "What?" Tiger Claw asked.

Bradford stopped and growled before his eyes began to shift. "There's a newcomer." Tiger Claw sniffed the air too and suddenly realized Bradford was right. Someone was here and they weren't supposed to be. The two looked behind them to the top row of seats.

Jason said, "Sorry, I've never seen your snake friend down here."

Fillien sighed, "It was worth a shot I guess. I should've known that though as soon as I saw Xever was the one who ran this place. Tiger Claw would have the fish for dinner if Karai was going to be used in the fights." Fillien began to stand up.

"Leaving already?"

"This has never been my kind of entertainment either. Besides, Karai is still out…" Fillien faltered.

Jason looked at what has made her stop and stare wide-eyed. I wasn't the fact that Breaker was about to kill off the last Squirrel mutant. It was Tiger Claw and Bradford giving Fillien death glares. It started to make sense to Jason how well Fillien knew the Foot Clan mutants, because they knew her, too. As soon as the tiger and dog got ready to pounce, Fillien reached back grabbing the white lab coat in her jaws and ripping it off. She tore it off to throw it at the two mutants and blind them for a few moments.

Jason scooted away from Fillien in order not to be associated with this problem. But he did watch somewhat longingly as she turned around and said to him, "Take care of yourself," before she jumped over down to the floor bellow and ran out the entrance.

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**A.N: And now Fillien is on the run. Never a dull moment for her or Karai. But what would be the outcome for the cat? Also hopefully I didn't make Jason sound less 'radical' then he is on the series. Just really want to expand what lead him down to working for Xever in the first place. More next week. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	18. Chapter 16

**A.N: Short chapter today. Lost track of time. I was busy YELLING OVER RISE OF THE TMNT SEASON 1 FINALE AHHHHHHHHHHH! I love Ninja Turtles so much. Also, it's a bit late so I'll answer reviews next week**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

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**CHAPTER 16**

As fast as she could go, Fillien ran through the sewer tunnels having left the fights far behind. But not all the attendees staid in their seats. Fillien looked back to see Bradford and Tiger Claw hot on her heels. And throwing items from her earlier disguise she threw at them didn't slow them down, huh? Things weren't that easy anymore. Fillien managed to gain some distance by using whatever room was in a coming left turn and fly around the corner. When Tiger Claw and Bradford made that turn they only managed a foot on the ground before slipping. The Foot Mutants collided into each other before slipping into another tunnel and losing sight of Fillien.

The catgirl smirked as she continued to run on foot and then find herself below a manhole cover. Spreading her wings, she jumped high and gained speed to use her head and push the cover open. From the surface she looked like she exploded from the ground, the manhole cover flying through the window of a nearby building. Fillien winced as she came down to land. She really hoped no Kraang heard that. She looked back at the sewer opening she came out of.

She couldn't believe her luck. Fillien went all the way down there to come without Karai. Not empty-handed though. She knew what these fights were all about now. She knew now where and why to avoid this area. A giant tiger head suddenly appeared from the manhole. Fillien jumped, her fur standing on end as she began to run again. Tiger Claw jumped out and ran after her with Bradford right behind. The dog, deciding to go on all fours, picked up speed and was soon running alongside Fillien right.

They didn't notice Tiger Claw stop and take another path.

With his large jaws, Bradford would snap his fangs down at Fillien's paws, trying to get her to tumble. Fillien did her best to avoid a bite while looking up at the sky and planning an escape route. She was trying to find space to fly. But how could she if there was a chance that mid-take off Bradford would just bring her down. She had to get rid of him first.

Fillien smirked and took a great leap forward. Then she pivoted her right foot. Her whole body then got low as she herself turned right and got in front of Bradford's path. He practically tripped over Fillien and faced planted into the ground before tumbling into a roll. Fillien laughed and figured now that she was facing right into a new alley she should keep going.

She ran down and looked up. Even if the path was narrow with two buildings close to either side of her, she had room to fly. Fillien took off and began to ascend. But as soon as she cleared the rooftops, she heard a loud roar on her left. A blur of orange and black just tackled her from the back and forced her to spiral down. One giant paw on

Knowing it was Tiger Claw, Fillien forced herself to turn mid-air. If they were going down, he was the one being crushed in between her and the ground. Tiger Claw noticed though and at the last minute, he pull her right wing so that she turned mid-air and was aimed to be pinned down. Neither got what they wanted. Both hit the ground with their bodies arched almost like shrimp before tumbling down the alley.

When both came to a stop, Fillien tried to be the first one to scramble to her feet and run. Tiger Claw wasn't going to have it. He managed to reach out and grab her right wing again. This time he used it to pull him up and then with the other arm, bring his elbow down to snap her wing. The sound of the bone breaking was so loud it echoed down the alley. It followed with Fillien giving a painful ear shrieking yowl.

Fillien kicked her back foot out to Tiger Claw's face to get him to let go. Then she jumped away from him as he held his nose was she kicked. Fillien wanted to continue running but her mind was in a haze with the pain of her broken wing being absolutely excruciating. She looked like a drunk animal stumbling around with her head low trying to get her bearing. her broken right wing dragged on the ground as she managed to get close to the edge of the alley and onto the street. But at one point it felt like Fillien's heart was about to explode.

Was she on adrenaline? Was it because of the pain from her wing? She put a paw to her chest as if trying to get the feeling to stop the feeling but it made it easier for her to fall on her left side and lay there panting. Fillien had to get up and run but all she could think was the pain. At one point she squeezed her eyes tight to get rid of the haze but when she opened them, she noticed a shadow over he blocking the moon.

She looked up seeing Tiger Claw looming over her. Fillien attempted to get up but the giant mutant put a foot down over her shoulder to keep her down. He even leaned in, putting pressure and pain on her body. As if she needed more of that right now. The tiger asked, "Where is Karai?"

"I don't know," Fillien managed to say through the pain. Tiger Claw leaned in some more as well as reached out grabbed her by the back of the neck. Fillien coughed out, "I swear I don't-!"

"Lying will cost you a lot more than a broken wing."

"I'm not!" then she grunted, "This time."

Tiger Claw stepped back, letting off some pressure on Fillien as well as letting her breath. As Fillien took in air and struggled to sit up, the tiger mutant got a blaster up and filled it with an ice pellet. He then stood over her again, this time aiming the blaster to her head. Tiger Claw was planning on using an ice shard on her if she didn't tell him what he wanted to hear. "I'd reconsider your answer."

Fillien got on four shaky legs. The pain in her wing almost forcing her back on the floor. "I don't… know… but even if… I did…." Fillien made sure to turn her body to face him directly, "I wouldn't… say shit…."

Now Tiger Claw believed her but didn't call it quits there. The blaster fired up. "Shredder wanted me to bring Karai in alive. For you, Shredder didn't specify…" the Foot mutant said with a smirk.

Fillien was about ready to pounce. Give it her all. In the line of fire. Even through the pain. But then…

WHAM!

A massive green force came into view. It came with a clubbed mace that rammed itself into Tiger Claw's face with a sickening crack. Soon the Foot mutant was flown like a dart back down the alley before skidding to a halt on his back. He clenched his jaw where it had broken.

Fillien looked at the massive form. A giant turtle with a head looking pint-sized compared to its massive muscular humanoid body. His shell spiked with what looked like Kraang parts wedge in between some. He had on a black mask along with matching kneel and ankled pads. In confidence, he threw his mace to rest on his shoulder as he looked down at Fillien with sharp green eyes. Fillien couldn't tell if he was the one smirking now since his under jaw stuck out.

"You…" Fillien gasped in recognizing this mutant.

He didn't stay to hear her speak more as he marched over to where Tiger Claw was getting up. That's when another familiar mutant flew in from above and landed where the giant turtles stood earlier. "Fillien! You're ok!" He yelled excitedly as he shook her by the shoulders with his hands. The feathers on his arms then stood on end as he gave her a panicked look. "You are ok right?"

Fillien looked down from the pigeon legs wearing pants, up the male human chest to stop at the pigeon head wearing a netted helmet. "Pete…." Fillien managed to say before the air became then around her and her world go black.

She felt herself fall to her left side and hear Pete yell, "FILLIEN!" before passing out completely.

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**A.N: HEEEEEEY! Look who it is. And right in the nick of time. Tiger Claw may be strong but good thing Fiillien has friends. And those friends have BIG friends! Anyway. GTG. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	19. Chapter 17

**A.N: A day late but nothing can stop me from posting! Not even the Season 2 of Rise of TMNT premier. *collapse in exhaustion***

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

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**CHAPTER 17**

The feeling of going in and out of consciousness was annoying to Fillien. Especially since the reason she kept waking up was the spike of pain through her body caused by her broken wing. And the reason she kept blacking out was the pain got too much for her to handle. This wouldn't be happening if whoever had suddenly picked her up and carried her wasn't doing so in a hurry.

Yes, Fillien was conscious enough to feel someone carrying her in their arms. But she couldn't tell who and where too. The voices all around her were jumbled. She could pinpoint only one. Pete. The Pigeon Man was still around. Words unknown but panic evident. Was she being taken somewhere? Had Tiger Claw done something? Or worse. That giant mutant turtle. Slash.

Even if her mind was in a haze, she remembered very well who Slash was. Before she and Karai left the Foot, they heard about Slash's mindless but effective fighting skills from the streets. Turns out though that even if the girls tried to recruit him for his hate towards the turtles, Slash's hate for the Foot Clan was stronger. He was so powerful, Karai had almost been maced several times. Now Fillien was trying her best to remain calm. If Slash was taking her somewhere… where?

What felt like forever later, Fillien noticed through her blurry vision the darkness turn to bright light. Did the sun come up? Then a moment later she was placed on the ground. But soft ground, like she was on a bed of blankets. She let her claws extended and kneed the floor to feel. She was right! It was blankets. Suddenly there were more voices and more panic. What was going on!?

Someone grabbing her broken wing created enough pain to finally wake her up fully. Adrenaline rushing and eyes wide, Fillien lashed out. Her claws did scratch something. Human skin. She heard a painful yell as large reptile hands from behind her pinned her down by her back and her shoulders. At this point, Fillien would use her wings to spread them out and hit whoever kept her down. But she felt her left wing pinned bellow her as she laid on her left side. And her right wing was snapped almost in two.

Fillien tried to wriggle out of the strong grasp but couldn't. All she could do was see who her captures were as she laid their helpless. The strong reptilian hands belonged to a giant mutant alligator. His wide chest and elongated face riddled with scar tissue. He stood on his back feet which were formed to make him bipedal. But his front arms were long and well-muscled enough to walk on all fours like an ape. Speaking of...

Fillien looked to who had stood by her side and saw an actual mutant monkey. His head was bulbous compared to his body but it was big enough for him to wear some metal contraption. Like Darth Vader's helmet but it didn't cover his face. The monkey's back was to her as he was busy helping a human man had fallen back. The guy had greying hair visible bellow his fedora. And he wore a green collared shirt with a tie. His brown pants matched his brown coat. A coat Fillien managed to scratch through.

Fillien could see that in her panic she had torn through the sleeve of the man's coat to leave three gash marks from his wrist down to his hand. It wasn't bleeding heavily, but it was enough for the man to wince in pain and put pressure on it with his other hand. Fillien could see bits of blood, dark compared to his caucasian skin.

"You need to get that taken care of, Kurtzman," the monkey said, his voice sounding like it was halfway through nasal congestion. "Or you won't be able to work."

The man, Kurtzman, shook his head as he stood up. "I'll get a bandage soon. But we need to focus on her. Anesthetic won't be enough. We got to get a sedative—"

As soon she heard "sedative", Fillien began to flail around hysterically. "No, no, NO!" Her body was like a worm now. A heap of fur and feather struggling to get free from the alligator mutant pinning her down. They wanted to do something to her. She couldn't let them. Yes, she was in pain but her fear was stronger. She hissed, "I swear if you put me under I'll—"

"Fillien wait!" Pete suddenly flew down and stood by Fillien's head and said, "Stop! You'll hurt your wing more!"

Fillien stopped struggling but kept her head raised to stare up at the pigeon man with eyes wide. "Pe-Pete? You're here? You're captured, too?"

"No, not captured. I'm with them. And they just want to help," Pete motioned around, finally getting Fillien to look at her surroundings.

They were in a warehouse. Fillien could see the second floor above with crates full of supplies. The roof was just a giant skylight to let the moonshine through. There was some light on the first floor from lamps to show there was only a table with some computers and broken junk around it at the far end of the room. The place didn't exactly scream dangerous and to her realization… these mutants hadn't attacked her. In fact…

As the monkey went to grab a box from inside the table cabinet, Kurtzman had gone to a First Aid kit set by a computer. He pulled out a bandage to wrap his wound. They didn't attack but Fillien did. Even so, though, she wouldn't just trust random people. Fillien looked up at Pete. Yes, being a pigeon he was a bird with a nervous edge for everything. But he'd never lie. "How do they want to help?" Fillien asked.

That's when the monkey and Kurtzman came back, the mutant with a box full of medical supplies. Kurtzman held a syringe in his good hand. Fillien winced as she looked away to see her wing. It was the only way… and if Pete was ok then…

Finally laying her head down on the blankets, Fillien let them know she was ok with them helping her. That and she just didn't have the energy anymore to keep her head up and be wary. The pain was getting to her again. She tried to hide it by looked far away and holding her breath at times, but it just made her breathing more labored.

Kurtzman kneeled by Fillien's head. He said to the alligator, "Step back, Leatherhead, I think we're ok here." The giant mutant, Leatherhead, nodded and removed his hands from pinning Fillien down. Then the man looked down at Fillien. She hadn't relaxed one bit. She looked like she was on the verge of panic again. So Kurtzman said as calmly as he could, "You're going to be fine. Just relax. That wing will be fixed up when you wake up."

Fillien looked to Pete for some reassurance on that. The pigeon man raised two thumbs up and smiled. The cat took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She felt the syringe go into her right shoulder and before long she had fallen into a deep sleep.

A long sleep that went well into the next day and she woke up to sunset. She was feeling groggy but her eyes were starting to focus enough that she saw orange hues shining through the skylight. But where was she again?

Her eyes landed on the second floor of… oh yeah, the warehouse. There, she spotted the alligator mutant… Leatherhead, was it? He was on set of crates made of look like an elevated bed. Around the corner was the ape mutant, sleeping on the overhanging pipes. Belly down as if it were a tree branch. Fillien tried to turn her head to see if she could spot Pete. The pigeon man was here? Right?

Looking to the far left of the room, Fillien did spot him by the tables. He was laying back to the ground but head up against a box. His hands rested on his chest as he slept and his snore sounding like a high pitch wheeze. Fillien smirked and shook her head before she frowned when her eyes spotted who was sitting on the chair by the table. It was Kurtzman.

Fillien watched him type something up on a search before grabbing a sheet of paper from the table and standing up. He went to a corkboard Fillien had just noticed was set up by the table. As he pinned up the paper, Fillien slowly began to move so that she was laying down on her belly instead of on her side. She was still a bit tired from the sedative but she was waking up more. That's when she felt a soreness grow on her broken wing. Broken Wing!

Fillien finally remembered why she was here and she looked to see her wing bandaged up. Her wing had been snapped on the bone between her elbow joint and her wrist joint. So the only way to keep it from breaking more was to wrap it in a way she couldn't spread out her wing and see what they did. But she could feel the stitches that's for sure. They definitely had to get in there and align the bone again. The healing process was beginning but the pain from it breaking was still there. And the soreness meant the anesthetic was wearing off.

But all and all… they did help her. Fillien looked back up at Kurtzman, seeing him just sit back against the side of the table and look at the corkboard with a hand to his chin in thought. His good hand. Fillien's ears dropped to the side in shame seeing his injured hand. It was better wrapped then how he'd done it earlier. But still, it made Fillien guilty that she had just lashed out like that. Being on the run really had the cat girl on edge. And Karai had been like that her whole life…

Kurtzman finished looking at whatever it was up on the board when he turned around and spotted Fillien looking at him. "Oh, hey, you're awake."

All Fillien did was nod as he walked over to her. As he kneeled by her side he asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Um… ok? I mean, a whole lot better than before but…" Fillien couldn't bring herself to say it.

"The anesthetic is wearing off?"

Smiling sheepishly, Fillien said, "Lucky guess."

Kurtzman gave her a sincere smile and stood up, "It's all right to ask, we've got plenty of supplies to go around." The man went to the table cabinet again and pulled out a box. He looked in and got a little nervous. "Well… plenty of some things. Scarce in others. But we can make do. We at least got pain killers." He pulled out a capsule with pills.

"Wow, how did you manage that?"

"Knowing the Kraang were going to invade at some point, I stocked up where I could." As Kurtzman went through another box, Fillien looked at him surprised.

She asked, "You knew about the Kraang before the invasion?" Then it suddenly dawned her. "Wait… you're not mutated."

"Yes and obviously yes." Kurtzman pulled out a ceramic bowl from the other box and then grabbed a bottle of water. "I had been spying on the Kraang for years and boy did it pay off. I saw the patterns and went into hiding before those aliens made their move."

Kurtzman looked happy but Fillien wasn't. "You're a human man studying Kraang and you didn't think to tell the public what you saw coming?" Fillien asked, somewhat accusingly.

"I became the laughing stock of journalism for my work. Think anyone was going to believe me?" He asked in return, his smile never wavering.

The catgirl bit her lip, feeling guilty again for the fifth time in a day. "I…sorry…"

Thankfully, Kurtzman had never looked offended. He walked back to her and put the bowl down in front of her. "There are definitely days I wish I could have done more to pursued the journalism world the Kraang were real in order to avoid all this. At least I can make up for it with this crew." He motioned around the warehouse.

Fillien's eyes first landed on the giant alligator still sleeping. "You weren't scared to ask mutants for help?"

The man shrugged his shoulders. "There are some nasty creatures out there like the ones you were fighting. But thankfully there are a few good ones, especially ones who want to fight the Kraang." As Kurtzman poured water from the bottle onto the bowl, Fillien looked to where Pete slept. He had been experimented by the Kraang as a pigeon, having gone through some traumatic torture so that as a mutant he'd do anything to get out of a Kraang situation. Now he was part of a Kraang fighting team?

Fillien was suddenly distracted by the pain in her wing getting worse now. Her instinct was to flap it to get rid of the irritation but she was reminded how tightly it was wrapped. Kurtzman pulled two pulls out of the pain killer capsule. "You'll feel drowsy again but it'll help."

Fillien took them gratefully and lapped up the water from the bowl to help her swallow. That's when she realized how thirsty she was. And not only that. "You wouldn't happen to have food?" the l cat girl asked as Kurtzman walked away.

The man stopped to turn and say, "Usually we are fully stocked but we ran out recently. Slash went to get something from the docks—"

"Slash?" Fillien practically yelled.

That's when a garage door on the far right of the warehouse opened. Giant hands lifted the door, revealing the said giant turtle just on the other side.

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**A.N: And scene for now. Because this was gonna get long… but hey, worth it for the drama that it came with and the cliffhanger it came with ahahah. But yeah, we at least know that Fillien is in good hands with the Mighty Mutanimals. A part of this story I've actually been excited to write from the beginning. Kurtzman is an interesting fellow. RIP his voice actor who recently passed away. More next week. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	20. Chapter 18

**A.N: Got another job and COPPA is on my A** on youtube but I made it to update this week woohoo!**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

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**CHAPTER 18**

Quick as lightning, Fillien was on her feet with fur on end and the pupils of her eyes just thin, narrow slits. Even though Slash didn't have his mace, that's all Fillien imagined him holding while bludgeoning some defenseless mutant. What Slash did have in his arms were two large wooden crates. In seeing Fillien get defensive, the giant turtle dropped his load and held his hands up in surrender. Slash's wide eyes showed Fillien he was shocked to see her, but she wouldn't count on him staying still for long.

Her next instinct would have been to put herself between her and Kurtzman, that is if the man hadn't stood up and went to stand in front of her to block her view of Slash at the garage door. "Easy, easy. You don't have to worry. He's one of us!" he urged with hands out towards her.

"HE IS?" Fillien yelled.

This commotion got all the other mutants to wake up. The ape and Leatherhead lept off from where they slept and jumped down to the first floor. Pete flew up on instinct, flapping his feathered arms and looking around in panic. Then in seeing what was happening on the other side of the room, Pete flew to land right next to Fillien.

Whether she was confused about the situation or feeling the pain killer's taking effect, Fillien stumbled back on her feet. She managed to stay sitting up to watch the alligator mutant grab one of the crates so that Slash could grab the other one and hurry in. The monkey stood on his feet and put his hands to his head as if he were meditating. That's when the garage door suddenly closed with a loud slam with no one touching it. What just happened?

Slash put his crate down and with one foot he kicked it to slide to Kurtzman. The human man opened the crate and looked in. Slash said, "We got enough rice there to last two weeks."

"Quite a score…" The ape said excitedly as he peaked into the crate.

Fillien was awestruck. No one was yelling or running. Slash really was one of them. Fillien looked to Pete, remembering he was the one who told her a long while back that Slash was dangerous. Now, the birdman asked Slash about bread to which the giant turtle replied, "It ain't sourdough—" Slash held up a bag of frozen bread.

"Any bread is great, Slash. Thanks, man!" and the pigeon gave him a thumbs up.

Fillien whispered to Pete, "What the heck happened to 'not go anywhere near that freak of nature' hmm?" She motioned to Slash. Pete winced, remembering he once said those words.

Slash managed to hear that but in seeing Pete's reaction, he laughed and said, "I really was crazy back then, huh? I deserve it." He then noticed Fillien was the one starring at him skeptically. Slash had yet to prove to her he wasn't a threat. He walked over to where Fillien sat upright. The catgirl scooted back a bit but that's all she could do. Slash said, "Listen, I am sorry. I wasn't in my right mind when I got mutated, but I still shouldn't have attacked you and your friend."

Looking away, Fillien wondered on how to respond. And second, looking up made her feel dizzy. Well, Slash did make an effort to apologize and not just to her. And she remembered why he got angry at her and Karai back then in the first place. "You weren't completely wrong to attack us. The Foot Clan turned out not to be the best group to hang out with. Especially with the Tin Can in charge."

With a nervous huff, Slash rubbed the back of his head in uncertainty. "Yeah… ugh… Pete told us 'bout that. It's why we thought you'd need help against Tiger Claw."

Suddenly remembering how her wing broke, Fillien's jaw dropped. Pete stepped in right away and said, "Oh yeah! That's right. We were all on patrol when Slash heard the fight and we came to rescue you."

"Slash forced the tiger to retreat," Leatherhead said.

Fillien looked down at her healing wing, remembering Slash had rammed his spiked mace into Tiger Claw's jaw. Not just anyone could get a good hit on the tiger like Slash did. And to save someone's life in the process. "Merci… I thank you all for helping me. Especially you Slash. You do deserve my forgiveness."

The giant turtle made no fanfare of it. He gave a simple nod of gratitude. That's when Fillien's front legs gave way and she was back to laying on her belly. The sudden drop made Pete nervous. "Fillien, you ok?"

"She's fine," Kurtzman explained as he rushed to a couple of boxes stacked in the corner of the room. "I gave her some pain killers so she's going to be tired a lot." He opened one box to pull out a cooking pot. "But like us, she needs something to eat. Mind helping me with the cooking today, Leatherhead?"

"Of course…" the alligator replied.

While the other mutants had started to make dinner, Pete staid by Fillien's side as the pain killers finally took effect. She couldn't talk much but it didn't mean her mind was completely unfocused. So to pass the time she asked Pete, "How did you survive?"

Pete knew exactly what she was talking about. "Well, once I knew you and Karai had escaped, I was taken prisoner. But honestly, I wasn't as scared as I thought I'd be. In fact, I tried to plan an actual escape!" Pete started to get excited. Then he frowned. "Didn't work though," Pete added.

"Well, you've come a long way from hiding in trashcans. I'm proud. And relieved. There were days I thought you were gone."

"Thanks… and it's good to be alive." Then Pete continued to explain, "I met Rockwell in a Kraang Lab." He motioned to the ape mutant. Fillien looked to see Rockwell close his eyes and put his hands to his head again like earlier. Suddenly some pots that had been placed on portable stoves were lifted off and put on the table to cool. No one touched them.

Pete continued, "Rockwell was being experimented by the Kraang but they accidentally gave him telekinesis." Fillien nodded, now understanding how the garage door had closed earlier. "So he came up with the escape plan and we both got out. Then we meet Leatherhead hiding in the sewers. And then Slash and Kurtzman came to us asking for help. Now we're the Mighty Mutanimals."

"Mighty Mutanimals?" she asked with a grin. Fillien couldn't tell if that name was actually funny or the pain killers making it seem funny.

Pete didn't get her question. "Yep, a mutant task force to stop the Kraang's secret plots! Hey, wait… you're an animal mutant. After your wing's healed, you want to join us?"

Taken aback, Fillien looked down at her paws to try and think straight. Join these guys? They all seemed nice, and Pete vouched for them. If anything she owed them her life. But the catgirl had to remember there was a reason she was almost caught by Tiger Claw tonight. "Pete, Karai's lost again. Her mind is doing better now but the Foot Clan knows we're back. They'll be after her. I can't stay. I have to find her."

The birdman was still. He and Karai didn't have the emotional capacity to call each other friends. And being she was a mutated snake never sat well with the bird. But Fillien was Pete's friend, and he knew how much Karai meant to the cat. "Sorry to hear that. I bet she's fine considering how she—wait—you can't leave."

"I appreciate the invitation but you know how Karai and I work."

"It's not just that. Your wing needs to heal."

Fillien looked again at her wing. The pain killers worked so well she forgot that was a problem. Rockwell had poured two cups of rice in to two bowls and held them in hand as he walked on over to them. As he put a bowl down in front of the cat girl and gave one to Pete, Rockwell said, "He's right. And it will take at least a month to heal. As long as you have proper rest and maintain from too much movement." Then Kurtzman went back to the table.

Fillien knew she needed to follow these rules but to do so would mean less time trying to find Karai. "What about Karai? A month is too long to go without looking for her."

Pouring a bowl of rice for Kurtzman and Rockwell, Leatherhead suggested, "Have us look for her." Fillien perked up at the thought.

"We go out on patrol every night," Slash added, "We'll keep an eye out for her."

An invisible weight Fillien felt she had been carrying was suddenly lifted. To have a whole group looking for Karai was a bigger chance of finding her. And more importantly, Fillien could heal up in the meantime. "I really owe you… Mighty Mutanimals, a lot. You're going through all this trouble." A feeling she had long forgotten was suddenly coming back. "Almost forgot what it was like to trust people, especially those who I've never met before." Fillien eyes landed on Kurtzman's hand that wasn't holding his rice bowl. The one she scarred herself. "I'm sorry I was so distant earlier. And I'm sorry about your hand."

Everyone looked at Kurtzman's bandage. The man just shrugged and said, "We've all had time's we've been distant from people. In the end, we remember that survivors have to stick together," Kurtzman finished, holding up a bowl as if to make a toast. "And help each other."

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**A.N: Short chapter today but more next week. Yes, I kind of made up how the mutanimals met but that was never explained in the show so I did that YEAH! Your welcome. But most importantly wanted everyone to get to know each other and forgive where needed. Anyway. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	21. Chapter 19

**A.N: I should probably just make it a thing now to say I'll either be updating Sunday or Monday every week. BUT after the new year. I'm very close to finishing my Star Wars story and then after my whole focus will be on this and the GLTAS story. And work… **

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 19**

With the moon high in the sky, the Mutanimals jumped from roof to roof. Keeping low as to not get spotted by Kraang patrols. When they stopped at the edge of a Pizzaria, Slash said, "Ok, Pete. Go scope it out high."

"Going up!" Pete almost yelled. Everyone shushed him, hoping none of the Kraang heard. "Sorry…" the bird whispered. "Going up…." And he took off into the air. A while later he came back down and said, "We got two groups coming down both sides of 8th Street."

"Then why the glum look? You like tackling Kraang for bread," Slash said.

"I do. But I couldn't find a Karai from up there."

Rockwell grumbled, "Another night, more bad news to take back to Fillien."

"It has been two weeks," Leatherhead said slowly.

Slash shook his head and said, "Buck up you said sacks. We'll keep looking for her. Don't give up yet. Besides…" he pointed to where a group of Kraang with a Kraang Walker came in view around the corner of the street. "We can come home with a victory tonight at least." Slash pulled out a piece of bread from his belt and threw it down towards the Kraang droids.

The metal machines looked down at the bread that had come out of nowhere, until they heard a loud, "SOURDOUGH!" from above. Pete was the first to attack with the others following behind. The chaos caused an onlooker who was hiding nearby to retreat deeper into an alley. It slithered away in a blur of light before coming into the light of a small lamp over a door.

There Karai stood in view, looking back at the fight. She had been trying to figure a way to cross the street when those mutants came in at the right time. She would usually get into the fight for the fun of it but seeing Slash made Karai backtrack. And it suddenly brought back some haunting memories. One she didn't need at the moment.

Karai shook her head and slithered blindly around a corner and up and the alley that ran parallel to the street. All in all, she was trying to keep back the emotions building up. First Breaker takes her for a fool and makes her feel shameful and now Slash brings back the fear. Could she just catch a break!? The snake girl, thinking she was far enough from the mess, finally made a turn towards the street she tried to cross before. She was met with another Kraang Patrol and their Walker. "Oh what the Hell!" she hissed as she just plowed through a couple of Kraang to cross the street.

They were all in shock at first but quickly realized she was a mutant, the ones not hit ran after her. The Walker began to fire plasma blasts from its turret guns. Karai was quick, avoiding getting hit or making contact with the Kraang. But as she turned into a couple of alleyways she found herself at a dead end. "Great…" Then she looked in every possible direction. The best was either to climb up… or go into the sewer. Which was quicker? The Kraang droids suddenly appeared and began firing at her with blasters.

On instinct, Karai used her tail to kick up the manhole cover and when she grabbed it with her mouth she threw it towards the Kraang. It went like a Frisbee before hitting the Kraang heads like a pinball. Once all their heads were cut off from the body they fell to the ground. Kraang creatures burst out of their chest and scrambled away to avoid the Kraang walker from stepping on them. Before the giant machine could fire a barrage towards Karai, the snake girl was gone.

Inside the sewer tunnels, Karai slithered away as fast as she could. She didn't care where. She just needed far, far away. Away from hurt, pain—No! "Not… again!" Karai came to a halt, looking back behind her to see if the Kraang had followed her before she relaxed. Her human form appeared as she laid her back against the arced side of the tunnel wall and slid down to sit. Pulling her legs to her chest and burying her head in her knees, Karai took deep breaths. No way was she going to think like that again. The primal instinct to flee and think so little of it.

That's how she had been when she first became a mutant. And she was helpless. She was hating this was happening to her again. Leaving New York made her a better fighter and helped her control her shapeshifting mutation. But everything else she learned was becoming noot. Every little bit of emotion set her off. With more and more memories to get her angrier. She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let those memories bring up…. That…man. Karai and Fillien sacrificed so much to get Karai better. The snake girl had to stay strong. Strong enough to find Fillien.

Karai took deep breaths. In and out. That's it. Take time, just like Tomoe said. That Praying Mantis mutant may have been a nut but she had a good head on her shoulders. Tomoe knew what she was talking about. This helped Karai relax her breath. Even though she didn't raise her head, the Kunoichi smiled. She was no longer panicking, so Karai could think of what to do next. "Go North. Fillien wasssssn't… in East…. Ssssshe may be… more north."

There, that wasn't so hard. Karai could handle this right?

Suddenly, there was a sound down the tunnel. It made Karai's head shoot up. She looked down the tunnel she had left to go down. Well, as long as she left behind the one she came in to avoid the Kraang, the source of the noise was the next place to go. Might as well check out the sound. Standing up Karai walked down the tunnel and followed the source through several turns. As the sound became louder it became more distinct. Like someone was kicking cans and chewing through wood. Once she turned another corner, she noticed light starting to shine more into the darkness. The source coming from a large intersection of tunnels. There, in the middle of the pit, was heeps of trash… with a giant rat mutant on top.

Karai felt her body become rigid at the sight. She wasn't afraid, she was terrified. And not about what the mutant could do to her…. But what she could do to it. Because of this…. This was her father. Karai tried blinking several times and rubbing her eyes, hoping that she was dreaming. Where she usually saw him during the mission to Kilimanjaro. But he wasn't in his red robe or speaking to her. Opening her eyes, she got a better look at him.

Splinter was the same as she last saw him, with fur sticking up in different directions and eyes wide as saucers in pure nervousness. This time his red robe completely gone and he wore nothing but white undergarments for bottoms. He didn't look like a man turned into a rat. He felt like a rat that just got bigger. Scrambled around the trash pile every five seconds, stopped to grab something and almost stuff it down his throat before repeating the search cycle for food again.

He wasn't himself. Splinter was always calm. Yes, cautious, but his fears and anger never defined him. This was… this was sad. Karai had no idea what, but something happened to him for him to become so feral. But being a big rat and moving around like one was starting to make Karai feel itchy. Her pale, white scaly skin almost shuttered as the instincts to hunt down and kill were growing. No, no, no, no…. Karai stepped back, away from the view of the intersecting tunnels and into the one she came in. If she kept looking at him, the need to eat would only get worse.

Think, think. Human. He's Splinter. Hamato Yoshi. Karai's father. Can't eat him. Won't. But the more she thought of that the more the worst of the thoughts came. Even though Shredder had intended for the turtles to fall into that snake DNA mutagen tank and not Karai, the victim was always going to be Splinter. The snake girl couldn't let Shredder win. Shredder! "NO!"

Splinter heard the noise, dropping his food and his body standing upright. He looked like a meerkat standing on a hill. Splinter's head rotated almost 180 to the source of the yell. Curious? What's that? More food? Danger? Flee? No flee? Curious. Splinter crawled down from his pile and stalked over to the entrance of the tunnel where the source came from. He went slowly on all fours as he sniffed the air. Familiar smell? Why? Not Food? Friends? Enemy? Danger? No Danger? He got closer and as he did, the scent became more familiar.

For a second, he stood up on his feet. But not like any animal. His hands were to his side. His ears were back in grief. His eyes no longer wide in fear, but wide in shock. Splinter… knew it… knew her. He knew her this was… his… his daugh—a primal scent came and blocked his memories. Danger? Snake? Snake! DANGER! Splinter turned tail as soon as a large head came out from behind the tunnel entrance and clamped its jaws down to where he once was. Now, Splinter ran. Run. RUN! AWAY! HIDE!

Karai in her snake form hissed in fury and slithered after him. Splinter was on all fours, moving north through the tunnel system. Karai was hot on his heels, no sign of any human emotion as she focused on one thing. Food… so hungry… kill the rat… eat.

The chase went on for what felt like hours. Splinter almost got caught at one point. His feet skidded on a puddle of water when he tried to turn and make a corner. He missed it, falling on his side as he slid to what looked like a dead end. His back pressed to the wall, he looked up as Karai came at him with a full charge. He looked to his right briefly, seeing a small tunnel enough for him to go through with a crawl. As soon as she jumped at him with all three of her snake head jaws open wide, Splinter jumped into the right tunnel. Karai's faces hit the cement dead end with a loud crack forming on the wall by the impact.

Splinter never looked back as he crawled on all fours through the small tunnel space he managed to squeeze in. And he never looked back as he got out to the other end into a wider tunnel and run into the darkness. Dark not matter. No matter. Flee. From danger. Danger far away. safe from the monster.

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**A.N: So after the turtles restored Splinter back to normal when they got back to New York , is this what Splinter meant when he saw Karai? Maybe not but I did it like this anyway because FEELS! Boy Karai isn't going to take this well. Anyway, i'll be updating in early January so have a Happy HOLiday and a Great New Year! im KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	22. Chapter 20

**A.N: I'm back! New Year, more Fall or Fly LET'S GO BOOYAKASHA! I also want to start updating on Fridays to get some more readers in so I'll be seeing you again this coming Friday.**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translations)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 20**

An animal-like groan was heard throughout the sewer system. The source? Karai in her human form recovering from slithering headfirst into a cement wall. As she lay there on her stomach with her eyes half-open, she tried to remember what happened. She was walking down the tunnel when she saw Splinter. So what happened after she blacked out? Karai's eyes widened when she saw flashes of a memory. She was chasing… Splinter. And she was…hungry. "NO!" Karai sat up and then scooted back to sit up against the wall. Her arms were up as if she was clawing the wall for a hold. Her eyes shifted around nervously. What did she do? What did she just do!

She did exactly what she feared. She almost killed Splinter. "Not…" Karai began to shake as she held her head in her hands. It shouldn't have been so easy to break. What she learned during her travels with Fillien should have kept her emotions in check. But all she seemed to have learned was to control her emotions as a beast when not facing…. Her past. Karai's body began to fluctuate. Human to snake, human to snake.

All these memories she was getting. From Slash, to Shredder, to anything that reminded her of her time in the Foot. New York would never let her forget the horrible stuff she had seen, what she had done, and what she could do. Karai gave a loud yell that echoed throughout the tunnels. Then she fell to her side and curled herself into a fetal position.

When those memories came, they brought the beast. Is this…. Is this what it was like… to suffer from PTSD? Still laying on the cold sewer ground on her side, Karai pulled her knees closer into a hug. Even though this wasn't her fault, the effect of what her trauma had caused... still made her feel so ashamed. Especially when it… hurt. Hurt others… hurt family. Friends. No… must stop… must not kill…

Karai lay there as her snake form took over when she began to sleep.

**)))))))))))))))) Mutanimal Wharehouse (((((((((((((**

March ended with the last of the snowfall, only leaving behind snow on the ground that had yet to melt. Since then, Fillien had stayed in the Mutanimals Hideout in East Village for at least two weeks as she healed. She'd watch as Kurtzman would delegate missions so that the Mutanimals would go out and deal a heavy blow to the Kraang occupation.

As much as she was impressed with their teamwork and compatible skills, she'd always ask upon their return if they spotted Karai. No sign of the missing snake girl. At the start, Fillien would thank the team and hope for the next night. But as the days went on, Fillien could only nod in recognition of their efforts.

When the Mutanimals returned from patrol, the night would have passed and everyone would rest the day away and get up around sunset. That's when Kurtzman and Rockwell would check on Fillien's progress. The first week was just nothing but pain killers and a bed. But at the end of week two, she had been allowed to roam around the warehouse. The pain started to become minimal and she no longer needed the pills.

To keep her stamina up, Rockwell advised Fillien to walk around the warehouse for short periods of time. She would do so, in addition to extending her good wing out every so often to strengthen it. But even with this freedom, she was still feeling sad. She really missed her best friend

One night Fillien looked out the window of the second floor. She hadn't noticed the Mutanimals get back from a night out until a huge presence stood next to her. Slightly spooked, Fillien jumped about three feet off the ground before facing Slash. She was having a hard time getting to relax around him, but she had gotten to the point where she could breathe and say, "Oh, it's you. So… how was it?"

"Stopped a couple of Kraang from offloading a shipment of more mutagen," the giant turtle said sitting down next to her. "One word: Boom." Fillien smiled and gave a nod before she sat down again and looked out the window once more. Then Slash asked, "Not gonna ask about Karai?"

"Hu-huh?" Fillien said as she was forced out of her daze. "Oh um, I didn't want to bother you with the question. I ask you guys all the time."

"You haven't asked in a while though."

Fillien winced and looked down with a sad look, "I guess… I'm becoming forgetful."

Slash shook his head as he stood up. "I didn't take you for the lose-all-hope kind of person."

Fillien would usually be offended by such an accusation, but she wasn't feeling in the mood to fight back. "It's… it's not that. I just…"

The giant turtle stepped back. He didn't expect this reaction. Maybe he should back out of what he said. Clearing his throat, he leaned over to lightly pat Fillien on the back and say, "Sorry about what I said. And we're going to find her eventually. The city may be big but we know it best." And then Slash walked away. Grateful that Slash tried to end it on an optimistic note, Fillien looked out the window with her eyes scanning the horizon now as the sun started to come up. Even if she still felt bad, she had a tinge of hope in spotting Karai.

**)))))))))))))) Footclan Hideout ((((((((((((((**

Sounds of claws scrapping through metal were heard throughout the training dojo of the second-floor bellow. Bradford had been in there all morning, practicing after not going out the night before on patrol. He had been spared the hassle of looking for Karai since Shredder's focus had been on one thing recently.

As much as Shredder wanted there to be a never-ending search for the Kunoichi, the armored man knew he could no longer do it with such few resources. The Kraang were busy 'ruling' New York and preparing to expand their invasion world-wide. The Footbots weren't the most efficient even though Baxter had done his best to reprogram them. So Shredder went back to an old idea he had before the Invasion. Long before Karai became a turncoat.

Mutant Army.

Bradford stopped sliding through training Footbots when he heard a noise below him. It was soft being it was several feet below the underground floor he was in. But he heard it well. A machine starting up.

He walked out of the dojo and went left down the hallway. He passed the medical room on the right and went to the far end where there was another door. There he opened it and went down some stairs to the catacombs which were made into the Hideout's personal jail. He walked down the long hallway before he got to the round room. Several jail cells lined the wall, all empty except one. "Looks like this mysterious project is finally finished, Monsieur le Chien (Mister Dog)."

"Argh….." Bradford growled as he remembered their prisoner. He walked by the cell ignoring the former-Griffis member as he went through what used to be a hole in the wall. Now there was a silver door open wide. He went in and walked down some more stairs finding himself in another round room. This one, unlike the purple hues the jail gave, was a bit brighter with more torches of fire giving the room a yellow glow. There was a Buddha statue at the far end with two dark open tunnels on either side

Bradford hadn't really been down here since the Shredder decided to use the Footbots as labor to create these underground passageways. The reason that he hadn't come down here until now was the reason behind the creating of such pathways far below the surface.

Another sound of a machine running below his feet was heard. More vibrant and load. But then it stopped. And soon smoke came from one of the tunnel entrances. That's when a giant humanoid fly with a bulbous head and body dressed in a pink fleece and pants flew out. As it fell on its knees and hands to cough out the smoke in its lungs, it suddenly threw up a little. Bradford growled and raised a clawed hand up to obstruct his view as he said, "So, Stickman, another day, another mess of your new lab you have to clean up."

The fly had finally recuperated and began to hover in front of Bradford. "First of all… It's Stockman – Bbbzt!" he yelled as his head jerked when buzzed. "Second, it's not my lab. Not yet until it's fully been constructed. We just had a little—bzzzt - trouble with some of the power couplings. Those -bzzt – Footbots don't know the difference between ground and negative."

Bradford lowered his hands, "Right. Tell that to Shredder." Then he began to walk back up the way he came.

Stockman followed by flying behind him. "Yo-you're not going to tell Shredder—bzzt—about this?" the flyman asked nervously. "It's just a minor setback."

Bradford smirked making sure Stockman didn't see it as he the dog mutant faced forward. "Perhaps… You know… I'm one of Shredder's best students. I can't lie to my master."

Once they got into the jail cell area, the flyman came around the dog and waved his hands out in front of him to stop him. "No—no, you don't—have to—"

Bradford gave a laugh which made Stockman fly back a little in shock. Bradford managed to say between laughs, "I can't believe you're still such a wuss, Baxter."

Baxter's stockman's wings began to beat harder in annoyance. "Oh I should have known- bzzt—You know I don't have to go through this bull! I can just fly off and do my own thing."

"And why don't you?" Bradford asked, still chuckling but curious all the same.

Stockman sighed and crossed, "I need a new lab after my first one blew up, you know that. I need to still run my own experiments somehow. The only way to do- bzzt - that is to do what Shredder says and that's to create his mutant army. As much as I hate the idea of—bzzt—being around more of your kind."

"My kind?" Bradford yelled angrily. "Well, you're one to talk—"

"You don't like the idea of creating mutants?" came a voice from the occupied jail cell. Both mutants stopped arguing and looked to Ulrich. He was leaning back against the metal bars of the gate as he fiddled with his watch. He played around with the leather strapped that connected to the metal latch. It almost looked like he was playing with it like a toy. The man didn't look back though. He just waited for an answer.

Baxter answered, "No. But it's not like anyone—bzzt – here cares."

"Really?" Ulrich asked surprised as he made the tiny metal stick piece of the watch's latch move up and down. It looked like a little creature with a metal head talking. "You don't see the potential these creatures have?

"The potential I see is what I have. I can fly around and my senses are—bzzt-heightened. There's nothing else." Suddenly Baxter threw up, making Bradford step back. "See what I mean."

"Oh, so you're hypocrite," Bradford began.

"No, I'm just—"

"Stockman," came a deep booming voice that echoed around the jail. Bradford bowed as Baxter flew around and hid behind Bradford. Ulrich only tilted his head back to see Shredder walk in. "What is the cause of the delay now?"

the flyman flew up nervously, his eyes and even wings twitching in nervousness. "We-well, I was manning the main control panel when one of the circuit breakers blew but since the Footbots—"

"No more excuses. Finish the Lab or I FINISH YOU!"

Ulrich scoffed as Baxter saluted and said, "Right, right, sorry, Master Shredder—" He turned to fly towards the entrance to the deep when he flew into the wall by accident. Then he flew back, shook his head, and continued down the tunnel.

Bradford bowed to the Shredder, "Do you have need of me, Master. I could send a couple of scouts—"

"No. Tiger Claw has already sent out the morning patrol. I will have need of your skills shortly. Continue your training."

"Yes, Master."

With that, the skeletal dog man walked away. Shredder never left though, not yet. He heard what Ulrich said when he walked in on the two mutants fighting. "You have a fascination for mutations."

"I did say I want little Lefevre for a reason, no?" He stopped playing with his watch and put it back on his wrist before laying his head back on the bars and closing his eyes.

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**A.N: Can't forget we got the Footclan up to no good. And with Ulrich added to the mix? Things can't be good. Also, I think it was time to bring up one of the many mental disorders that the mutation has caused Karai to have. PTSD. There's another one but this one I've been hinting at the most since the start of her mutation. Fillien's got something too but that one will be addressed as the story progresses. So yeah, like I said before I really want to add relevant topics into the character development so here's one way. Can't wait to explore some more. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out! **


	23. Chapter 21

**A.N: Looks like Friday updates work great! Here I am in a timely manner with the update! **

**Ericaphoenix16: No problem. It's great to be back to writing this story.**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

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**CHAPTER 21**

The feeling of spring was finally being felt throughout the desolated city. Even though there were no humans to enjoy it and the Kraang didn't really much care, the few mutants hiding around were more than relieved. Food would be easier to find, the nights would be less cold, and for some, there would be more freedom. That some being Fillien. A whole month after the fight with Tiger Claw, Fillien's wing had healed enough so that she walked around without her wing wrapped in a cast. Which meant it was finally time to test her healed wing.

"All right," Rockwell said as he and Fillien stood in the middle of the warehouse. "Spread those wings and let's see how the bones feel." Fillien stood up and spread her wings out to the side, expanding them the farthest they can go. Then she lifted them up over her head, the bottom facing forward to give her a look as if she were wearing a crown of feathers. "Now flap them gently."

Fillien did so, her left wing working fine. Her right wing moved a bit slower. Rockwell asked if it was hurting to which Fillien replied, "Sore, yes. I can kind of feel tingling sensation around where it broke. But no pain."

"So it's healed, but now we need to strengthen it again."

Kurtzman's annoyed voice cut through the lesson. "… stupid piece of… metal…"

The two mutants looked to Kurtzman who was sitting on the table set up with the computers. He was hunched over listening to a police scanner with a whole bunch of wires sticking out of the back. Those wires were connected to other machines such as radios and receivers to give the police scanner a boost in receiving signals. One wire was connected to a large headphone he had on.

When Kurtzman looked up once, he noticed the three mutants staring at him. He dropped his annoyed look and said, "Sorry, fellas."

Rockwell and Fillien looked at each other sadly before giving their best smiles so that Rockwell said, "Don't worry about it. You've been doing your best to get that infernal machine working. Even I've been stumped on getting it to intercept Kraang transmissions. It's not easy with the lack of Kraang tech we have stolen."

Fillien said, "You should take a break."

Kurtzman nodded, acknowledging their forgiveness and offer before saying, "I won't be much help with the flying lesson. The best I can do is get… as Rockwell says…. This infernal machine working." He went back to listening in on the scanner.

Rockwell then instructed Fillien to start hopping from one floor to the next. Using the railings as places to land. Fillien did well her first jump to the second floor, only needing to flap a couple of times before perching on the metal bar of the railing. She tried to jump across to the other side but had a little trouble keeping herself in the air. Her right wing already feeling weak.

She managed to get to the railing but only her upper body making it over the other side. She hung there like a rag doll, embarrassed, with her wings hanging limply behind her with her back feet. Then she forced herself to hoist her feet onto the bar. As the cat balanced herself and turned around to face below, Pete walked out into the open and said, "Looks like someone's got to have some flying lessons again." he finished with a smirk.

Feeling flustered that she couldn't get a handle on her weak wing, the catgirl perched low with her shoulders moving up and down. "I can crush you by flying down and sitting on top of you, you know I can!" She hissed with a playful smirk herself.

Pete raised his winged hands up and said nervously, "All right, all right. I pushed some buttons, sorry." Then he cleared his throat and said more confidently, "What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to relearn things, you just have to go back to some basic steps just to strengthen your wing. Remember branching. Everyone's done it at some point. Nothing to be ashamed of."

Fillien nodded, remembering how she and Pete first met. She has been recently mutated and she spotted him flying. Hopping from one place to the next was all she could do before she asked him to be her flying teacher. Branching was the term. Fillien spread her wings, took a big leap and glided back to the railing across, landing with ease. The catgirl smiled. Maybe it was a step down, but going back to the start shouldn't be so bad. Fillien turned around again to look down at Pete and Rockwell. "Thanks, Pete."

"Nothing to it. Can't let my best student get down in the dumps."

"I was your only student."

"Sure, fine, but I did teach you good."

"This… can't be true…" came a gasp.

The three mutants looked to Kurtzman. Leatherhead and Slash, who were on the second floor playing poker on a makeshift table, left their game and walked to the railing. Everyone noticed the human seemed to try and hear better by hunching over and getting closer to the police scanner. Then he stood up so fast he chair fell back, his face pale with shock.

"Kurtzman?" Slash asked worriedly. Fillien glided down from the metal railing and without problems landed right next to Kurtzman.

The older man pulled off his headphones and quickly said, "I just intercepted an important transmission between the Kraang. They found some humans hiding somewhere." Everyone was on full alert. Pete's ear for rumors had caught word that some humans had survived being mutated to Kraang creatures and had gone into hiding. But since they were hiding, no one really knew for sure. But now it seemed the rumor was true and came with some horrible news. "They didn't say much of the details," Kurtzman continued, "But a convoy is being driven down 3rd Avenue towards Chinatown. Hurry now and you might be able to stop them before they go any further—"

Slash was already grabbing his weapon as Leatherhead jumped down and joined the others. Fillien said, "Take care of yourselves."

"As always," Pete chirped.

Slash soon was down on the bottom floor and throwing open the garage door. "All right, Mutanimals. We've got civilians to save."

Fillien and Kurtzman watched them leave with nervous looks but relief at the same time. Kurtzman picked up his chair and sighed, "Wow, I can't believe it…." He slumped down on the chair and said, "More humans… and I managed to hear the transmission in time." He put a hand on the makeshift police scanner. "Usually this thing too is primitive compared to Kraang tech to catch any of their frequencies."

Fillien sat down flapped her wings up and down to test them while she asked, "Well you've been using that algorithm on your computer to pick out patterns. It's not like you can rely on it all the time. It wasn't going to tell you about this one convoy."

"Yes…." Kurtzman began now sounding skeptical. Soon he began typing something up on the computer. Annoyed by the amount of clicking, Fillien went to the garage door to close it since Slash left it open during their rush out. When she got to the entrance she was about to hop up and pull the door down when she heard Kurtzman yell, "Great Scott! It's a trap!"

"What?" Fillien asked a she turned her head around and her tail was up straight.

Kurtzman banged his fist on the police scanner and said in anger, "I knew I shouldn't have trusted this stupid machine for the one moment it worked to get a huge lead."

Fillien turned herself to face Kurtzman fully as she asked, "What are you talking about?"

"You're right. The algorithm wouldn't have picked up the human convoy because it doesn't work like that. When they find prisoners, be it mutant or not, they would take them individually. They never wait for a full transport." Fillien realized what he was getting at and without another thougth she bolted out of the warehouse. Kurtzman yelled out for her to stop but she didn't listen. Her feet kept her going forward, heading west.

**)))))))))))))))) 3rd Avenue (((((((((((((**

Slash smashed his mace through the last of the army of Kraang before looking up to check on his fellow teammates. They had all made in time to stop the convoy. It was a military cargo truck meant to carry passengers in the back were a tented cabin was placed. The driver being a military man mind controlled by the Kraang.

Other military men had been on the top of the truck now lay unconscious around the vehicle. The Kraang patrol that had marched alongside the convoy was now destroyed. The Kraang creatures squealed and left their silver robot bodies. For some reason, they headed towards a vacant business building on the left side of the street.

"All right gang, let's get these humans out of there," Slash said.

"Huzzah, can't wait for the amount of screaming to follow," Rockwell cheered sarcastically.

Pete patted him on the back and said, "Hey, maybe because we saved them, they won't yell."

Leatherhead shook his head as he walked with Slash to the back of the van where there was a tarp covering the entrance to the cabin. With all their back to the business building behind them, they didn't notice the glass windows had been removed. Hidden in the shadows of the several different floors of the building were Kraang droids in their protective blue covering holding blaster ready to fire.

**)))))))))))))))) East Village Streets ((((((((((((((**

Fillien had run for a few minutes before she got to the street right before 3rd Avenue. That's where she noticed Kraang creatures running out from around the corner of Third Avenue and head into the business building nearby using a back door. Why were they going there, unless… Fillien picked up the pace.

The Mutanimals were most likely on the other side of the building. By the time she got there to warn them the Kraang inside would already be springing their trap. So how to get their attention? Fillien aimed for the back door. She broke through head first before sliding into a hallway. Immediately she found a fire alarm and doing her best with a pawed hand, she pulled the lever. Lights flash and alarms blared all throughout the building.

**)))))))))))))))) 3rd Avenue (((((((((((((**

The Mutanimals stopped what they were doing and looked up to the business building seeing the silhouettes of Kraang as the fire alarm cast light on them. Slash stepped away from the back of the truck to see what was going on. He did so in time to avoid getting hit by sudden blaster fire coming from inside the cabin. Noticing how close he was to getting shot, Slash yelled, "It's a trap, retreat!" The Mutanimals ran as Kraang droids in their protective layer form jumped out of the back of the truck.

They were too late in pulling out heir blasters to aim at the Mutanimals because the mutants by then had turned a corner into an ally. As the team ran past the business building that had its alarm set off, the door in the back opened. Fillien jumped out and soon began to run alongside them. "Fillien!" Pete yelled as he flew overhead.

"What are you doing here?" Slash yelled.

"It was the fastest way to get your attention," Fillien yelled between pants. Soon Kraang came pouring out the back door and started shooting at the team. "Unfortunately, I got their attention as well and they chased me out the building."

"Better chased then getting blasted to bits," Rockwell yelled but with a smile.

"And we got a head start," Slash said. He was right. They only had to run their fastest down a couple of streets, cutting corners and jumping over buildings, to lose the Kraang. They made it to the warehouse safely, Leatherhead slamming the large metal door closed before he and the others recuperated. Kurtzman went to each and one of them, checking to make sure they weren't hurt. "You guys ok?"

"Yeah," Slash answered as he gained his breath by laying back against a cement pillar.

Kurtzman rubbed the back of his neck as he went up to the table and looked down at the police scanner. "I'm sorry, team. I should have known it was a trap the minute I got those signals. They wanted that message to be broadcasted on all frequencies to get you all out in the open. They'd never let anything as big a humans get out of Kraang communication. This machine was a waste of time and I almost cost me some good friends."

Rockwell, having recovered, went over to the table and hoisted himself up to sit on. "It wasn't a bad idea, Kurtzman. We just need the right parts. Besides, the trap was their idea."

"Yes," Leatherhead agreed as he sat down. "The Kraang knew we couldn't pass up the opportunity to save people no matter how unbelievable it seemed to be."

"Not we, me," Kurtzman said as he turned to face everyone but laid back against the table with his arms crossed. "The Kraang have seen you all out there fighting them but they've never thought once to trap you all until now using the human rumor as an exploit. They must have found out I'm working with you guys." He paused for a moment, letting the idea sink in with the others before saying, "I may have put us in more danger."

From her spot of blankets were she had gone to sit and rest, Fillien shook her head. "No, no, no I'm not going through this bullshit again." Hearing her swear made everyone stare in disbelief. "I've seen where blaming oneself goes," the catgirl began as she stood up. Her wings that had sagged to the side in exhaustion suddenly went and folded tightly in place. "And trust me it's not a place you want to take yourself, Kurtzman, believe me."

It got real quiet after that. No one made a sound. Kurtzman pondered on Fillien's words, seeing how adamant she was at getting him to think twice about what he was saying. She had really seen some stuff.

That's when Slash added, "We're not going to let you take the blame for something that you couldn't stop. The Kraang came up with this plan. They're the culprits here." The others agreed right away.

Kurtzman smiled. "Thanks, guys." He nodded towards Fillien in gratitude which she took with a curt nod in return. Then Kurtzman said, "So, the Kraang haven't found our location but now we're a much bigger threat. Slash, what do you think?"

As the human man began to disassemble the police scanner, Slash stood up straight and said, "We'll have to be more careful, at least check our surroundings twice, even three times. We got to make sure we see the attack on all sides. Which means we're going to need another set of eyes out there."

Everyone looked to Fillien who had stood in the middle of the room. She looked around as she saw all eyes on her. "Me?" She asked nervously. "Out in the field as Mutanimal?"

"After tonight, you proved that even flightless you can still help others," Leatherhead said.

"That would definitely be a good way to get some branching in to strengthen that wing," Pete added.

Rockwell said, "Agreed but don't push it too much. Just be where you can be."

Fillien was a bit worried at first. Tonight she just operated out of instinct. What if she messed up on a mission by holding them all back. But then she realized that maybe they were right. If she could help by doing what she did best, it would be enough. And more importantly, she could also keep an eye out for Karai. "Boys, consider me officially one of the Mutanimals."

* * *

**A.N: Yep, officially one of the Mutanimals. And since Kurtzman has been discovered to be behind the crew, it seems like their hideout will be discovered next? Sounds familiar right? Yes! Because we are getting close to Return to New York. But first, I think we'll need a special point of view next chapter to fill in what's been going on beyond the city. Teasing so you all better be here next Friday hahah. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	24. Chapter 22

**A.N: Another regularly scheduled update. YIIII! And extra long! BTW, here comes that turtle pov you've all probably been waiting for!**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 22**

Tap, tap, tap went the sound of the last of the April showers as it constantly came down on the red walls of the old barn. Thankfully the only person in at the moment found it soothing as he worked. Donatello was busy drawing out a new blueprint, his only light being the lamp on the table where he worked in the back of the large space. His computer and other gadgets had been set to the side as he went old school at the moment.

Normally the purple banded mutant turtle would be deep in researching or using any tech he had at his disposal. Especially when it came to making sure he was going in the right direction with a new experiment or invention. Currently, Donnie was coming up with upgrades to the old Volkwagon Bus that was in the barn shed with him. For now, though, he was going to go by instinct. Trust himself. Trust his strengths.

"Be strong, like the mountain," he whispered to himself. A phrase Donnie heard only a few days ago. From his father. Splinter. Someone he and his brothers thought to have been killed back during the Kraang's invasion. By Shredder no less. How had he spoken to the turtles then? Well, Donnie thought at first he could have been hallucinating the spirit of his father popping out of fire. But how could it be if his brothers also saw Splinter and heard him speak the same thing; to harness the elements and find their true potential?

Donnie was glad that in his trail, he broke free of his strict reliance on logic and embraced what might seem impossible. To stand his ground, like a mountain. It allowed him a sense of hope to believe, alongside his brothers, that Splinter was alive. They just had to go back to New York and find him. They were ready to go back, but first, they needed a way in.

As Donnie drew calmly with a white pencil over blue paper, he smiled. This was the most relaxed he felt in a while, and this was a plan to break past Kraang's security. The irony.

The door to the barn suddenly opened and Donnie looked back to see Michaelangelo walking in. The orange banded turtle closed the door behind him before trying to shake off water from his hands and feet. "Sup, Donnie," he began, as he started to walk passed the colorful van and up to Donnie's chair where he sat. "Me and April got dinner ready! Guess what it is…"

Donnie's eyes narrowed as he continued his sketch. "Pizza."

"Ok, so it's not really that hard to guess," Mikey said sheepishly. Then he spotted Donnie's sketches and leaned over the chair to see. "Whatch'ya doin?" he asked in a sing-songy voice.

Donnie quickly began to roll up the blueprint and said, "Something special. We're going to use to break past Kraang security around the city."

The young turtle became excited, his eyes wide as saucers. He, like everyone, had been excited at the thought of going back to New York City. They had been staying in April's old family home upstate for so long that they missed their Lair. Donnie taking his work into the barn almost 24/7. "Can I see?!" Mikey exclaimed as he tried to reach for the paper.

The older brother moved it away from reach and stashed the blueprint into a drawer. "If I say it's a surprise, would you leave it alone until I tell you?" Donnie knew Mikey wasn't one to ruin a surprise. He liked surprises.

Mikey stepped back and held his hands up, "Oo-oo, ok, ok, I'll wait." Then he spotted Donnie's phone and got an idea for another question. "Hey, have you gotten any calls from Fillien yet?" Donnie sighed. His brother's questions reminding him of the last time he talked with their feline ally with wings.

For some reason she had called through Leonardo's phone to which Raph picked up because Leo was still recovering from his brutal fight with Shredder. She had asked for Donnie because unlike his brothers, he knew more about her troubles. Not enough to get him involved with… whatever it was she had been running from, but enough to know the importance of the tanzanite ring she processed. And to know her family had been killed for it and that she was in danger as well.

That's why he and Mikey were worried she hadn't called since then, which was three months ago. Of the four turtles, Donnie and Mikey cared for Fillien as a friend. Raph still somewhat skeptical of her considering she, unlike Karai, had no reason to leave the Foot Clan. The cat had been almost as brutal as the other Foot mutants when she was one of the enemy. Now that was beside the point. It now sounded she was finishing what was started with this Creator, going all the way to Africa to do it.

"No," Donnie answered, "Not yet." They just had to hope though that Fillien came out alive. As well as Karai. Fillien denied Karai was with her, but Donnie was the only one to have talked to Fillien then and the cat held restraint in her voice when asked. "I'm sure Fillien is fine."

Mikey had become somber when Donnie answered but quickly his smile came back when Donnie gave him some hope. "Well, come on!" the young turtle exclaimed as he started backing up towards the barn entrance, "That Pizza isn't gonna eat itself."

**))))))))))))))))))) New York City (((((((((((((((((((**

"Leatherhead! Two Kraang, at 5 o'clock!"

The giant gator heard the warning from above and immediately whipped his tail in the direction specified. Two Kraang silver Kraang droids fell in an instant onto the cement floor of the street. Two of several on the ground that had been destroyed tonight.

Another cry came from the sky. "Rockwell, three of them are trying to escape, southbound."

The monkey ran on all fours towards three Kraang droids trying to getaway. Just as he got behind them, he jumped over them to get in front and stand in their way. They stopped just as Rockwellraises his fingers to his helmet and closed his eyes. An invisible wave suddenly pushed the droids back where they came from. All three ended up getting smashed by a spiked club waiting for them.

Slash smiled having caught them at the right moment, slinging his weapon over his shoulder and looking around.

The Mutanimals had run into a Kraang patrol on their way to Midtown. The fight was just about ending though. A walker destroyed and burning in pieces on the side of the road. Something that used to be a little harder for them…. until they got extra air support.

"Duck!" The Mutanimals on foot hit the deck as Pete and Fillien dove down from the sky and then leveled out just over their heads. Suddenly a Kraang stealth ship came flying after, managing to level out even though it seemed it was spilling fumes out the back. Fillien and Pete flew alongside each other as they came close to a T-section.

Townhouses made up the street blocking them. They both gave each other a sly smile before Fillien made a right and Pete took the left as soon as they got close enough to the buildings of the t-section. The Kraang in the stealth ship had been too engaged in the chase they didn't realize they were being led into a trap until it was too late. The ship crashed into the townhouses and exploded into pieces. Some of it remained stuck in the building but flames engulfed it quickly.

Leatherhead, Rockwell, and Slash came to stand in the middle of the street surrounded by the mess of Kraang part. Soon, Fillien and Pete came flying into view and landed right in front of their comrades. "Nice job, Filly Jilly," Pete said as he held a fisted hand up towards her.

Fillien rolled her eyes and tried her best to fist bump back with her front left paw. "Only because it's you, Pete, that I'm letting you use that nickname again." Then she looked around and said, "Wow, I didn't think it was going to be this bad coming back here. Sorry guys."

"It's the least we can do with your help these last two weeks." The other others nodded in agreement. It was true. Since Fillien had officially joined the Mutanimals, the constant battles with the Kraang had gotten easier. And even easier once she no longer had to just glide around and be their eyes in the sky.

Her wing now fully healed and her stamina back up again, Fillien had been able to add to the number of Kraang property they've all destroyed. She could now add stealth ship to the list tonight.

"Least?" Fillien asked flabbergasted. "You guys took time to come all the way out here to help me look for Karai today. It's more then enough if you ask me." She began to take the lead down 6th Avenue to a normally busier part of the city. Buildings almost as tall as skyscrapers began to pass by the group as they made their way toward Midtown.

Leatherhead said, "We don't have to go and fight Kraang every day. It is easier to set aside time to search for your friend instead of hoping for a chance to spot her."

Rockwell then added, "Besides, the Kraang find us anyway. No matter what we do out here. Tonight showed us that."

Leading the way, Fillien eventually brought the Mutanimals to the east of Midtown. From there they split up into groups and started looking for Karai. After about a couple of hours, the cat and Leatherhead found themselves in front of a building all too familiar to Fillien. It's red cobblestone walls showing it had been vacant long before the Kraang invaded. Fillien and Leatherhead stepped in, the gator looking at the empty lobby they were in before looking up to the different floors marked by wooden railings.

"This is where Karai and I usually stakeout," Fillien explained. "I came here after we got separated, but she never came." Fillien hesitated as she stopped in the center of the room.

Leatherhead asked, "Do you think she has returned here recently?" Fillien didn't say anything right away. She was doubting herself already. They had practically searched everywhere by now. Leatherhead put a giant hand on her shoulder. "Your instincts may be correct, but there is only one way to find out."

Fillien nodded with a confident smile as she said, "I can thankfully count on your wise optimism, Leatherhead. You're right, let's get searching."

The two mutants went on to search the entire abandoned apartment complex. Fillien soon came upon her room. The old mattress collecting dust even with the windows boarded up. One shred of moonlight came through a part of one window not blocked. Fillien looked through to see the familiar view she woke up to every morning whenever she staid here.

But there was no feeling of longing though. If anything she longed to be back at the safety of the Mutanimals hideout, laughing or joking with them over a card game or something. The feeling of community was something Fillien was grateful for. The only longing that came from this place was Karai, and the snake girl wasn't here. Fillien was about to step back into the hallway when she spotted a flying silhouette flying in from the west of the skyline.

Fillien ran out and down to the lobby, yelling for Leatherhead to join her. The two mutants then burst out of the complex in time to see Pete land at the steps of the entrance. "I knew I'd find you here. Follow me! We got Foot Clan mutants a couple of blocks away. The others are already fighting them!"

No hesitation. They were running and flying to their destination as soon as Pete said 'Foot Clan'. Pete brought them outside a food hall below a tall building. It's space wide and airy enough to have several different counter-serving eateries lining the walls and in the middle several tables and chairs. By now though, the furniture was all over the place. Rockwell was using telekinesis to pin Bradford with several hundred chairs to the wall.

From the window, Fillien could see Xever getting up having been thrown down to the ground. His knife was ready to catch the monkey by surprise with a stab to the back. Leatherhead roared and charged towards the fish man. Xever was surprised to see the gator burst through the window and then grab him in his giant clawed hands. They ended up crashing into a taco establishment, pots and frying pan falling to the ground with the sound echoing around the hall.

Another sound that was heard was the grunt of a fight happening at the end of the hall. Fillien noticed there was a small hallway that led to another dining hall on the other side. The catgirl ran inside through the broken window and then into the other dining hall.

She got there in time to see Slash on his knees, bruised and beaten, as Tiger Claw had the mutant turtle's mace in hand. Tiger Claw began, "This is for my jaw you almost broke, you sorry excuse for a—"

Fillien was booking it, seeing the Tiger raise the weapon over his head. She jumped onto his back, her claws digging into his shoulders so she could hang on. Then she bit into Tiger Claws neck. The momentum almost made him fall forward but he didn't. But he did drop the mace to land in front of Slash. Tiger Claw reached back and grabbed Fillien by the scruff. Then he turned around to throw Fillien towards the small hallway she had come through.

She maneuvered herself mid-fall with her wings spreading out to catch air. It allowed her to land on her feet, facing Tiger Claw with shoulder hunched and a menacing growl growing in her throat. Both cat mutants looked at each other, fur on end and claws unsheathed.

That's when Slash got an idea. He grabbed his mace and raised it, but instead of aiming for Tiger Claw he brought the spike end into the ground. It cased the floor around Tiger Claw to crumble and even rise up with the sudden impact. As he was lifted into the air by the force, Fillien saw an opportunity and flew high over Tiger Claw. Then with sheer force, her front paws grabbed a hold of him and pinned him to the ground. The impact making for the floor around them crack and even lift.

When the dust cleared it looked like Tiger Claw had crashed on the spot where he lay now and created a crater. Fillien standing on top of him with wings spread out. Slash could see that she not only looked powerful but felt powerful having knocked the tiger senseless. "That's for my wing…" Fillien said, almost breathless but victory all the same.

Slash laughed. Oh yeah, she was fine. Slash, not so much. Using his mace to help him stand, Slash got up on wobbly legs. "You all right?" Fillien asked as she jumped off Tiger Claw and went to stand next to her comrade.

"Fine, but we need to leave."

"Why?"

"They followed us here. We caught them hiding in the shadows. I think they followed us since the fight with the Kraang."

"Why—" But Fillien didn't finish. It was obvious. They were looking for Karai too. They were going to have to be extra careful from now on. Especially now that they knew Fillien was with the Mutanimals. "All right, lead the way."

**)))))))))))))))) Great Hall, Foot Clan Hideout ((((((((((((((**

"Though the results were not ideal…" Tiger Claw began his report to Shredder. "We found some interesting information."

Xever, Bradford, and Tiger Claw had all come back from the fight they having been beaten and left to recover as the Mutanimals escaped to who knows where. The fish and dog slightly shook in fear, knowing the heavily armored man they bowed in front of at the moment hated failures. Thankfully Tiger Claw was at the fight too, and being Shredder's Second Hand he had a way of convincing the man lost missions weren't a complete waist.

Tiger Claw continued from his kneeling position as he felt Shredder's eyes on him from where he stood in front of him. "Even though tonight we decided to try and track the catgirl in hopes to find Karai, we found out it would be a waste of resources since she truly does not know where Karai is."

Xever and Bradford looked to the tiger somewhat surprised. He was saying that as if he had not told Shredder of their last encounter with Fillien. The night the tiger broke the cat girl's wing. Maybe because it ended with Tiger Claw being almost jawless because of that giant mutant turtle Slash. After all, that was the real reason they had gone out in the first place tonight. They weren't looking for only Karai. Tiger Claw wanted to exact revenge of Slash. That would be something he wouldn't say to Shredder.

Tiger Claw continued. "In fact, she has joined these Mighty Mutanimals and together they are searching for Karai. We will save more time and energy by following their whereabouts. When they do happen upon Karai, we will be the ones to catch Karai instead."

As Tiger Claw spoke, the air around them seemed to relax as Shredder did. He was no longer fuming over the lack of fighting skills his followers had. instead, he saw the logic in Tiger Claw's proposition. "Very well. tonight, your punishments have been avoided. Don't make me regret this decision. You are all excused. Tiger Claw, you remain."

Bradford and Xever hurridly walked out of the Great Hall, planning a silent victory party of not dying tonight over a couple of drinks. Tiger Claw stood but with arms behind him as he waited for what Shredder had to say. "Ms. Lefevre seems to be posing as much more of a threat as the months go by."

Tiger Claw rubbed the back of his neck where the blood had dried up from the bite Fillien gave him. "As I have said, her skills we will use to our advantage—"

"We shall," Shredder said, cutting the mutant off. But he didn't do so in anger but in deep thought. "Follow me"

**))))))))))))))) Foot Clan Jail Cell ((((((((((((((**

Ulrich was busy counting the number of bricks lined the walls of his cell. He had been having trouble sleeping recently so he thought counting sheep might work. But after a couple of nights, that method wore off. So he tried something new tonight. He was so busy counting he had no idea he had visitors until Shredder's shadow loomed over him.

The French man looked up at from where he laid back against the wall. Shredder on the other side of the metal bars as usual. But instead do keeping them closed, the tiger mutant with him went ahead and opened the door wide open. Surprised he was, to say the least. But then again, he had been hoping this day would come. His words finally piquing Shredder's curiosity.

The metal man let the man stand before he addressed him, "You were right to tell me the rings would no longer be something we could acquire."

Ulrich waved his hands in front of him, "It's all right, Monsieur. Even I have lost myself in… what's the English phrase. Wild goose chase."

"What I do have now planned is still a chase. But not that of a ring, but of a winged cat."

Ulrich smirked.

* * *

**A.N: So yes, what comes after Vision Quest? Return to New York! But maybe it won't be what we expect, at least not with the turtles. But we will get a special reunion we've been waiting for! Can't wait! Meanhwhile we got some baddies doing abby things hahah, what TMNT without villians, honeslty. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	25. Chapter 23

**A.N: We got a special chapter today which marks the start of the reunions we're going to have very soon.**

**Nightmaster000: Thank you for taking time to review the chapters. Your words give me life and encouraged me to write up this chapter I know you'll enjoy!**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 23**

Dawn's shining light broke over the quiet city of New York, not a soul in sight. Save for a Kraang patrol here and a Kraang worm the size of a truck there. Making sure where she was wouldn't have a Kraang-related thing in sight, Karai slithered out into the middle of the street in her snake form. She checked twice both ways before ducking back into an alley.

As she looked around, she noticed the lack of human-turned-Kraang creatures. They used to roam the sidewalks and alleys like emotionless zombies. Now there were none to be found. The snake part of her mind though was more on high alert than the worries of her human mind. Safe hiding spot… move on to next… hide more…..

As she continued to peek around the corner of the building, Karai got an itchy feeling on the left side of her face. Her snake hands morphing into human-like clawed hands, she used it to scratch the itch but felt something fall. She looked down to see bits of scales fall to the floor, looking like dried bits of paint. Oh yeah, that was a thing now. Shedding… new skin… fresh…

And that's how it was the last few weeks. Moving to one place and shedding in another. Without even knowing she had gone from the sewers of East Village to the subway tunnels of Midtown. Today, her snake mind thought best to explore more westward. There wasn't enough food to hunt where she had been before. Hungry… more food… hunt.

Karai heard a squeak behind her. She looked down the alley and saw a small rat sneaking out from below a dumpster. Karai got low… real low, coiling back. As soon as the rat stopped in the middle of the alley, the snake girl lunged with jaws wide open.

**))))))))))))))))) Midtown Manhattan (((((((((((((((**

Even if it was noon and she was outside, Fillien flew over the west side of midtown, hoping that maybe finding Karai in daylight would be easier. She had been doing so in the last week since the month of May started. At least a month since she joined the Mutanimals. Seeing as they took the mornings to sleep, Fillien thought she would use some of the daylight hours to go searching before resting for another night patrol.

And so she glided over a couple of sky scrappers before finding herself over some small shops and apartments. She did well to remain low enough in case a stealth ship flew by and she had to duck for cover. After about an hour she just stopped and took a break. She took in the few of the empty city. Even if she had been used to the hustle and bustle of popular tourist cities, she liked the quiet that the suburbs had. Yes, Midtown wasn't a suburb but it sure felt like it. "Where are all the Kraang-humans?" she wondered to herself.

Before she could think more on it she heard a shrill squeak come from inside a flower shop. Looking across the street from the roof of an apartment she had laid to rest, Fillien spotted something moving in the shadows of the store. The cat could easily see something white moving about since the large display window was broken.

Checking left and right for patrol, Fillien deemed it clear enough for her to glide down and land in front of the shop's window. Fillien stalked towards it, keeping low and her wings halfway spread out in case she had to make a quick getaway. "Hey, anyone in there?" Fillien hissed. No response. It was dead silent now. "If you're a mutant, I promise you, I'm not going to—"

Suddenly, a giant white form jumped out through the hole of the broken window. Fillien yelped and ducked, her stomach to the ground as her front paws went over her head. She waited until the shadow passed over her before she lifted her head and looked back to see none other then Karai slithering away. "Oh, my—Karai! Karai wait!"

As Fillien followed the snake across the street and into an alley, the cat's thoughts went as fast as her feet. Karai was here! She found Karai! After all this time the searching had paid off. But why was the snake girl on the run? "Karai!" Fillien chased her on foot for a couple of blocks before finally, "Ok, that's it." Fillien jumped high and used her wings to push herself forward so that she was far enough in front of Karai path. Once she landed she yelled, "Karai stop!"

The snake girl came to a halt but raised her upper body high so that she was taller then Fillien and hissing down at her. Fillien stepped back, seeing the familiar blank look in her friend's eyes that came with this odd defensive behavior. "Oh no… not again, no…" Fillien gasped as she stood up tall and her wings folded to the side.

Karai hissed at her, but Fillien noticed she wasn't attacking. Ok, so she still had the ability to control her body as a snake. No sudden lash out towards the cat girl or displaying some new ability at an unnecessary time. If that wasn't the problem then it had to be mental. Her memories. "Don't forget everything we've been through these last few months, please. Africa, Tomoe, my uncle…"

At first, Karai just blinked. She stopped hissing and moved back a bit to observe Fillien who didn't attack. The cat just staid there with a worried look in her eyes. Not an enemy…. But friend… Friend who? Wait… Those words. Africa, Tomoe, Uncle… Those memories came so fast, Karai's body almost shot upward before she jumped back to recoil, her body trembling. Fillien's mouth gapped open at the sight of Karai's reaction. "Karai, it's ok it's just me…"

Karai ducked her head into the coil to shut out the light and the sight of the cat in order to concentrate. Too many memories…. But… not bad. Adventure, thrill, happiness, protection. Usually that all came with Fillien. "Ffffillien." Karai hissed with a smile as she lifted her head up and uncoiled. But before she could turn into a human, her snake senses caught a whiff of something else. Oil?

Fillien also was going to get lost in joy at seeing the snake girl smile when she too figured something was off. Her ears perked, her left ear angled up as she heard the sound of machinery. "KRAANG!" Fillien yelled before jumping towards Karai and pushing her to the ground, flat on her back. A plasma blast hit where the cat once stood. Both Fillien and Karai got up and stood back to back in time to see themselves surrounded by Kraang droids.

A long hiss echoed around the small alley they were in as Karai eyed every single droid surrounding them. Fillien was just as annoyed, "I find my friend and suddenly you all decide to be a problem. Thanks!"

That's when the Kraang began shooting. Fillien and Karai immediately went on the offense. Karai practically bulldozed her way through five of eight droids blocking the east entrance of the alley. With those in pieces, she was able to grab two other droids, one in each snake hand. She held them in front of her by their heads and then slammed their metal heads together.

The cat made a similar attack on the droids blocking the west side of the alley. She rammed her body into a couple of Kraang droids before jumping high to grab one in the head with her powerful jaws. As she came down and held the droid tight, she kicked her back feet back. Once to disarms the blasters of two droids behind her and the second time to kick those same two into the wall of a building behind them.

Only one left and she was done. Crushing the one in her jaw into pieces, she turned to face the last one she had to take out. In an instant though, a Kraang from across the alley was thrown into it. Fillien looked to see Karai standing straight, her tail coiled around her as her snake hands hissed. She herself was breathing hard, her tongue out almost hanging to the side like a dog panting after a long run.

Seeing as Karai was frazzled, Fillien looked to see the situation now. It looked as if there weren't any to begin with. All that was left were empty droids whose Kraang were long gone. So Fillien went up to Karai and said, "Relax, they're gone." The snake didn't let up, here head darted back and forth as if she were still searching. "Karai…. KARAI!"

The snake girl blinked and shook her head before her eyes focused on Fillien. "Ffffillien…."

"Yep, still me," fillien assured. Karai lowered her head to get eye level with Fillien. That's when relief finally set in since they didn't get the chance earlier. "And it's you! You're here. I can't believe I found you…" upon closer inspection she noticed bits and piece of dead skin peeling off Karai's face. "… and… you're shedding… ew…"

Karai blinked again but instead of being unresponsive she laughed. Fillien… always stating the obvious. Karai then turned into her human form, reaching out and stroking Fillien in the head. "For a second there I thought you were reverting back," Fillien added in relief. Pulling her hand back, Karai bit her lip and her eyes shifted around nervously. "What's wrong?" Fillien looked around thinking Karaiw as reacting to danger. "Maybe we should get out of here. Besides, it's still daylight—hey! I know a great place to hide. Follow me." Fillien turned tail and had Karai follow her south.

"I've been staying with this group of mutants. Besides the… eccentric name that is Mutanimals, they aren't all bad." Fillien stopped around the corner of a building and peeked down 7th Avenue. Karai right next to her, still on two feet. Fillien continued, "Even Slash turned out to be a nice guy—" She never got to finish.

Karai only had to hear the name Slash to see herself in front of said mutant. She stepped back and held her head in her hands as she remembered the giant… turtle… the angry big one. And enemy. Mace in hand… ready to kill… her… because of Shredder. Karai's eyes went wide, Fillien looking back to see her body shifting into a snake. "Karai… what's going on why are you-?"

Hissing at Fillien, she turned around and hid behind a big dumpster. Curling up, she tried her best to get rid of the memories. Shredder… the lier… trickster… murder…

Being cautious as to not make sudden movements, Fillien tiptoed to where Karai coiled herself into a shivering mess of shedding skin by the dumpster. "What happened… all I said was… oh… oh no… you are reverting back. And it's because of your memories…"

**))))))))))))))))))))) Abandoned Apartment Complex, Midtown (((((((((((((((((((**

(Song: Stand By You by Rachel Platton)

"So PTSD…. It's not a problem… Its just…. well people who have it can still live life," Fillien said to Karai as she laid on the used mattress in the little, dusty room. Karai was in her human form, which made it easier for Fillien to see the deadpan that crossed her friend's face. "Well, a life of their own choosing." Fillien stepped around the mattress and looked out the space in the boarded-up window. The evening sun was starting to set.

Fillien thought it best not to go back to the Mutanimals at the moment and just stake out at her old hideout for the time being. It took Fillien little time to adjust to Slash but Karai was going to take a lot longer. And knowing Karai didn't like 'burdening' others with her problems, Fillien knew the Mutanimals weren't going to be of help even if they tried.

"We just have to think of the next thing to do. I mean it's obvious it should be the same thing we set out to do before we got separated. Reunite with your family. Donnie said they would come back to New York City soon from wherever they went. It should be soon… hopefully. And when they do, we can finally get their help."

Karai pulled her knees to her chest as she kept laying on her side, not looking up. She heard every word. She understood. But… "Better idea."

"Ok, shoot."

"Maybe… avoid problemsssss… all together. I… sssssstay… here. It was Fillien's turn to look away from the window and give Karai a deadpan. Karai gave a sheepish smile in return. "No bad memoriessss here."

Fillien went and laid down on the mattress next to Karai, saying, "Can't keep avoiding them. I thought we agreed we were finally ready to see your family."

"I wasssss….. 'til now. Might hurt… turtles…might hurt…" Karai mentally blocked out the image and the name that would follow to avoid any lash out.

"I know who you mean…" Fillien said, knowing Karai still had a problem being around Splinter. "But we don't have to go all in right away. How about just the turtles for now. Besides, you said yourself you last saw… him… not in such a good state of mind. The turtles will have to help him, too. But for now Spl—I mean— he can't help you. The turtles will be your best bet."

As always, Karai couldn't help but doubt. But there was a new feeling. Not in her head but her chest. One she hadn't felt in so long time. Hope. Hope that came with friendship. Karai sat up and scooted closer to Fillien so that she could lay against the cat's left side. Fillien smiled at Karai as the Kunoichi wrapped an arm around the back of the cat's neck and smiled back. "Happy… to sssssee you."

"You and me both," Fillien said as she rested her head on her paws and let Karai pet her on the head. "Everything is going to be fine now."

"I know… I got you…"

Fillien gave a sheepish smirk which made Karai giggle. She couldn't be more lucky to have Fillien there to bring some real good memoires to calm her down. Karai closed her eyes, remembering all the times they stood by each other in a fight. Yes, they were fights against enemies, but Fillien was there standing by her. It made Karai rest easy as the sun set and the darkness outside set into the little room.

That night, without the girl's knowledge, the turtle's returned to New York

* * *

**A.N: And that's why Stand By You is the song I chose for this chapter! We at least have the girls reunited because it's been WAY too long, don't you think? And it's time to get back on track because turtles next time, yip, yip! I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	26. Chapter 24

**A.N: Happy Valentines day! Or in the case of this story, Galentines Day!**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 24**

Ulrich walked down a flight of stairs, using the light of oil lamps to see the two diagrams he had in hand. Yep, walked… down some stairs. Was he still in the Foot clan hideout? Yes, but no longer as a prisoner, sitting in a dankey cell a little less than a month ago. Coincidently he just left that little room behind to walk down the new set of stairs connecting to it.

He expected to get down to the bottom where he would find himself in a pristine science facility with many floors and glass cages. But once Ulrich got to the tall, round room, he heard nothing but chaos. Or to put it simply, Shredder screaming.

He was on the main platform which had in the middle of the room the giant round tank of mutagen level to it. Hovering next to the orb was Baxter who didn't seem to keen to get anywhere near Shredder at the moment. He just let the heavily armored rant as Footbots stood by motionless.

A sharp cough was heard on Ulrich's left and looked to see by the entrance to the stairway was Tiger Claw. He was laying back against the wall and arms crossed as he let Baxter get an earful. That's when Ulrich thought to look around to get a better idea as to what was going on. He noticed one of the glass cage doors open and slash marks on the concrete walls of the science facility. Both on the level they were on and the platform below. "I take it he made an experiment and it got loose?" Ulrich guessed.

Tiger Claw answered. "Worse. We captured Splinter and he got away thanks to the turtles breaking in."

"Oh yeah… I remember hearing about them in meetings back at Griffes headquarters and how they were your enemy. They weren't much of a problem to our plans so we didn't bother knowing more. Whatever happened to them during the invasion?"

"One of the turtles and Splinter were supposed to be dead, with the rest of them fleeing the city," Tiger Claw began, "But…" he explained how tonight not only were the supposed somehow found alive, but the turtles had returned as well. When Footbots found Splinter and brought him here, they lead the turtles to the science facility and they broke their master out.

"And all this happened tonight," Ulrich said almost surprised. "See, this is why I should have my lab here so I don't miss out." He looked back at Shredder finishing his constant screaming towards Baxter who now stood in front of the Foot Leader. "Why blame Baxter?"

"Why not?" Tiger Claw said with a smirk.

Ulrich rolled his eyes. "Your sense of fun is disturbing. As for your master's hindsight on who to blame…" the french man realized it got quiet and he faltered.

He looked back at Shredder to see the man standing straight and arms behind him. The armored man seemed to be doing his best to keep a calm temper as he asked, "Ulrich… do you have good news for me tonight as I seem to be lacking in the department of effectiveness." Baxter gulped knowing he was the one being referred to.

Ulrich looked down at his diagrams. Old factory blueprints faded but with fresh red marker making notes on construction. The other diagram was that of the anatomy of a bird and a lion. Written on the bird sketch was a list of required supplies. "As much as I resent the idea of using the Fly mutant's old lab on the surface as my new work station…"

"It's B-zzzz-axter Stockman, to you—" said flu mutant tried to correct before Shredder shot glaring daggers at him.

Ulrich continued, "I was able to find surviving materials. And your Footbots have been most helpful in clearing out debris and getting the place into shape again. I only require a few supplies that I myself can get with some online shopping. I only need one thing from you now. And with it, I can continue with what we discussed."

Shredder seemed to contemplate, but thanks to Ulrich's words he was no longer on the verge of losing his temper again. If Ulrich was going to provide more in an easier manner then what Baxter had done thus far, then by all means… "Tiger Claw," Shredder began. The mutant stood straight, hands to the side waiting for is orders. "Send the word out. Not only are we searching for Karai, but we will also need Ms. Lefevre in one peace."

**)))))))))))))) Midtown Manhattan ((((((((((((**

A few days had gone by since Fillien and Karai reunited. But being as she had been staking out in the abandoned apartment, it meant Fillien had to let some friends know of her whereabouts. "But it feels like you just became a Mutanimal," Pete whined at Fillien as they stood on the roof of a store.

Fillien shook her head but gave him a smile as she said, "I know, and it was fun. Tell the guys I give them my thanks. But I finally found my friend and she needs just me right now."

The pigeon man's shoulder visibly slackened and his head hung a little low. "Ok, well, you know where to find us if you need anything."

So Fillien returned to the abandoned apartment as the sun began to set that night. But as soon as she snuck in through the lobby doors, she was stopped by an unusual sight. "What are you doing?" she asked Karai who was by the lobby check-in desk. She was using the corner of the wood as a scratching post. Her back to it like a bear trying to get rid of a hard to reach itch. The snake girl gave the best smile she could in her snake-like form.

Fillien noticed on the ground were scales and a bit of dry skin. "Oh… right…. gross…" Karai's smile was soon replaced with a pout, her snakehead arms crossing in front of her chest. "I know, I know, you can't help it. That's why I'm saying you should do it outside."

Karai uncrossed her arms, slithering back a bit as she looked out the glass doors of the lobby entrance. The last of the sunset's rays were gone and it was dark out. Pitch black would be the perfect cover. But… She looked to Fillien with pleading eyes. The cat looked outside and then back at Karai again with a smirk. "Ok, I'll go with you. Besides, it's dinner time."

Using the Empire State building as a landmark to head westward, Fillien and Karai found their way easily through the streets. They checked every garbage can, every grocery store, every little market for any food. But everywhere they went seemed to have been empty in the first place or ransacked for every little crumb left. "There are definitely a whole lot of survivors out here if it's not only us picking the streets clean," Fillien said as she stopped at the corner of a street facing a crosswalk where two cars were overturned in the middle.

Karai agreed with a simple nod of her head before slithering to a stop at the corner of a building behind Fillien. Karai used the edge to get an annoying itch off her lower back. This probably could have been easier if she was in human form. But for some reason, she thought nothing of it. All she could think of was getting rid of whatever dead skin she had. Suddenly, she stopped when she heard a squeak in the alley behind her.

Licking her lips, she looked back to see a small rat inching its way out from a sewer grate. It looked like it attempted to make a break for another sewer grate across the alley. She was about to lower herself to get into position to pounce when she suddenly heard metal creek. She looked back to see Fillien now sanding on the wreck of cars, using it as a post to get a better look around. "Maybe if we head south we can find something. Near the Mutanimal's place, there were good places to scrounge for."

Hearing Fillien brought Karai back to focus, not caring as the rat made it to its next hiding spot and disappearing for good. The snake part of her mind…. Angry… wanted rat… hungry. But the human side that managed to break through new it best to put it aside. If her family was going to help her soon, she couldn't let the snake mind take over. Can't give into temptation. Especially if that temptation could feed into accidentally hurting… her father. No more rats.

"Let's go," Fillien finished.

They left midtown behind and were making their way to the edge of East Village when Karai and Fillien were almost spotted by Kraang. They quickly took to the roofs and laid low as a patrol of Kraang droids marched by. No big walkers, no stealth ships. Once the patrol was gone it was an easy clear. "Ok, let's go," Fillien said, her wings spreading out and looking to Karai.

The snake girl was already sitting up but waving one of her snake hands around fiercely. A large amount of dead spin was coming off. "Ew—ew—Karai really?" Fillien jumped down from the building they were on and glided across the street to an alley on the other side. When she landed she called back, "Join me when you're not shedding."

Karai just blinked confused. What was so wrong about shedding? Getting rid of old skin felt good… refreshed… cle—Oh no! That was her snake mind taking over. No, no, no—Karai turned her non-shedding snakehead hand into a regular hand so that she could peel off the rest of the dead skin easily. Even if this was normal for a snake, Fillien was right. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Fillien had pulled off the lid of a trash can and looked in by the time Karai caught up to her. As they looked in, a certain smell caught Karai's attention. It wasn't anything in the trashcan even though it was obviously horrid in there. It was something else. Karai looked up. Something from the direction they came from. That's when Fillien heard something too and looked to where Karai looked. Was it a conversation. They didn't see anything right away. But they trusted their senses. "We move…" Karai suggested.

Fillien nodded. They turned around and stalked towards the other end of the alley when they heard a couple sounds followed by someone cursing, "MOTHER RUSSIA!"

The two girls immediately went into hiding by ducking into the shadow cast along the wall of one of the buildings they were next too. Peaking their heads out only to look to where the sound came from. They spotted two people on the roof the girls had been on earlier. Right away they recognized one of them. "Steranko," Fillien said as she eyed the blond, caucasian skinned, muscular man wearing a black suit, gold spiked shoulder pads, and black Ushanka hat.

"Leave Karai alone!" Someone yelled.

Fillien raised an eyebrow "Who was that? What's going on?"

Karai's eye widened when she heard that voice though. It was familiar but somewhat not? She wanted to get a better look but the corner of the building they were hiding next to blocked their view.

All Karai could do was point to the small, lithe, and brown-skinned man behind Steranko. "Who…" She hissed as she took in the details of this newcomer's grey leather suite with metal shoulder pads, belt, and visor. He looked to be glowing only because of the purple wires built into the suite.

He suddenly began to yell at whoever was out of sight of the girl's line of vision. His voice pitch so high, and higher could break windows. Then his tall purple mohawk began to glow. He spun on his feet as if he was dancing before throwing his head down so that the electric build up in his hair let loose like a projectile of energy. The purple blast finally forced whoever was out if the girl's sight into view.

Fillien smiled as she practically rammed her shoulder into Karai side. "It's them, it's them!"

The turtles. They were here. They were back in New York City! Karai looked at each one of them up on the roof. Raphael, Donatello, and… Leonardo. For a slight second, Karai's snakeheads for hands turned to regular hands. She could see the fond memories that came with seeing blue cladded turtle. His constant will to help her no matter what. Whether she'd be fighting against him in a battle or stuck behind a prison door. She smiled. The turtles had returned and better yet they were here of all places around the city. Why?

Suddenly someone jumped in front of them, Karai hissing and her snake heads coming back. Fillien lowered her head and spread her wings. But then they relaxed seeing it was none other than the youngest turtle. "Karai! Fillien! You're ok!" Michelangelo yelled excited

"Mikey! Boy, you guys are a sight for sore eyes," Fillien sighed as she folded her wings and stepped to him. The sound of gunfire was heard and they all looked to see Steranko had pulled out a machine gun and was firing at the other turtles while the mohawk man was doing his own form of dance-fighting. "What's going on?"

"Don't know for sure," Mikey answered. "But it looks like they're after Karai."

"What, why? Is Steranko with Shredder again?"

"Maybe—" The sound of more gunfire cut him off and they all looked back to the fight getting intense.

Seeing him worried for his brothers, Fillien ushered him, "Go, I've got Karai."

The turtle nodded in gratitude before looking to Karai. She hadn't made a move of recognition since Mikey showed up. She had been too spooked to recognize him. "Karai, you have to stay here. Wait for us, understand?" She only blinked in reply, even though the turtle didn't wait for one. He took off back towards the fight on the roof.

Fillien sighed, "I guess we're just going to have to—oof!" She suddenly felt Karai's snake arms wrap around her waist and pull her to hide behind a dumpster. Fillien wondered what was with the sudden move when she saw pink light just on the other side of the dumpster. The cat went still, back laying against Karai who crouched as a Kraang spy-bot came near. Fillien could recognize the dome shape top of the hovering object, it's spider-like arms out and ready to grab whatever.

The girls did their best to keep from getting caught by the spy-bot's scanner as it hovered by. It stopped once to scan the alley they were in but never flew in to check the entire area. Not even the tiny shadowing corner by the dumpster the girl's ducked behind. It felt like a good while before it decided to continue its patrol down the main road.

Fillien sighed, "That was a close one." Something suddenly whizzed by Karai's shoulder and over Fillien's head, hitting the metal side of the dumpster. Fillien's ears lowered as she gasped, "And so was that."

The two stepped away from the dumpster to see Steranko had almost shot one of them with a dart gun if Raphael hadn't stepped in. The instinct to flee the moment danger was imminent struck Karai so quick, Fillien would have not seen the snake girl leave if she hadn't hissed in fear. "Karai!" Fillien yelled as she went after her friend.

* * *

**A.N: YAY TURTLES! Which means Serpent Hunt. Time to see how the turtles take to Karai with Fillien there. More next week, I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	27. Chapter 25

**A.N: Today is a great day for animation. Clone Wars, Glitch Techs, Owl House… I hope with get more Rise of TMNT to add to this fun. What a time to be alive!**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 25**

A couple of human-turned-Kraang creatures lumbered by the empty streets, not noticing as a large snake passed by them by keeping low and out of sight. They only looked when something passed over them, the brightness of the moon casting a large shadow. They went back to walking in their zombie-like gate when they saw nothing.

Karai easily made it past a few blocks before she found her path obstructed by a giant Kraang patrol. She tried to backtrack but when she turned around and made a corner into an alley, Fillien was there. "Karai, Karai relax, you just got spooked."

The snake girl's eyes darted back and forth, looking for any danger. When they finally focused on Fillien, she relaxed. Karai was grateful her memories with Fillien were working but she had gotten too nervous around Mikey. What if she had accidentally lashed out and hurt him?

Fillien looked around and said, "There's too much noise out here. And with Steranko out looking for you, we need to find a place to lay low until he moves on." The two girls found a warehouse not far from where they left the turtles. As Karai rested in a coil on top of some crates, Fillien kept watch on the third floor. She looked out a window to the streets to see if she could catch the turtles.

Sure enough, after a little while, she saw for familiar figures approach the warehouse. Fillien glided down to the bottom floor where Karai was, saying, "They're on their way."

Head jerking up, Karai looked fearfully in several directions before finding a tarp hidden in the shadows along the left wall of the giant room. She quickly jumped off the crate and ducked under the tarp. Fillien sighed and rolled her eyes. She cared for Karai deeply but this was getting a bit tiresome.

Fillien trudged on over to the tarp and crawled under. She found herself facing Karai who was laying stomach to the ground, chin also touching the cement floor as well. Even as a snake, the sadness in Karai's face was all there. "Karai, don't give up yet. They can help."

"I… could hurt—"

"But you didn't. I saw you smile when you saw Leo."

At that moment they heard the doors open and then someone yell, "Karai!"

Fillien wanted to move out of the tarp but Karai brought a snake-head hand and brought it down on the cat's head to keep her from making any sudden movements. She has a hard time recognizing the voice change but that was Leo all right. But Karai just didn't want to be found. Not yet. She thought she was ready earlier, but everything suddenly was moving too fast. It felt as if the tarp was compressing around her as Leo and all the turtles called out her. Searching all around the warehouse.

She felt her snake-head hand move and she looked to see Fillien using her paw to remove it gently. But instead of moving it away, she put the hand down on the ground and put hers on top. The snakehead turned into a regular hand. Karai looked at the reaction in surprise. She didn't even have to think it for it to happen? Fillien gave a small smile and whispered, "You've got this."

Suddenly the sound of the turtles calling out was cut short. Followed by metal footsteps and a familiar electronic noise. Karai and Fillien were on high alert and they pulled the tarp off to see Donnie up against ten Kraang. Even though they saw Raph come down from the second level to stand behind the group of droids, those two still wouldn't be able to fight them all. A deep instinct to protect them took over Karai and she charged.

Fillien stepped back surprised before saying. "Ok, head first, then." Fillien charged right beside her.

Karai would bite into the heads of some Kraang and tail whip others. Fillien used her claws to slice and dismember or just use her body to knock out some with force. They took out every single one. Once they were done, they were back to back, facing the turtles.

Fillien relaxed but Karai hadn't. She only stared at Donnie as the turtle laughed nervously and said, "Ugh, thanks?"

The instinct to protect had slipped away in the middle of the fight. All she was thinking now was that this turtle was probably her next meal. She hissed at him, making Fillien turn to stand next to her and say, "Karai, relax…"

Mikey jumped down from the second floor and landed next to Donnie. He raised his hand sup carefully and said, "Karai, it's me. Mikey. Your brother."

"Karai, remember us," Leo insisted from his spot on the second floor behind him. The girls turned around to see him jump down next to Raph. "We're your friends," he said standing up. "Remember who you are."

Donnie concluded allowed, "She's becoming more snake like by the hour. She doesn't understand, Leo."

As Karai's snake heads for hands reached out and hissed in Donnie's face, Fillien stepped forward so her wing could go between Karai and Donnie. Fillien then began to say, "Not true. She can still understand, she's just worried at the moment."

Leo looked at Fillien skeptically as he asked, "Worried? What do you mean at the moment?"

Fillien explained, "It's her emotions. When she's afraid or angry, her mind starts to loose bits and pieces. It's getting worse but she has some restraint left. She just needs to calm down in order to get some understanding again."

Leo suddenly became determined. He stepped forward towards Karai to get her attention back to him. "You're changing Karai. We want to help you." Karai turned around and hissed towards Leo, but the turtle made no retreat back. Instead, he stayed still and looked into Karai's eyes.

Karai stopped hissing and looked into his eyes. Patience…no fear. Calm… this turtle was calm. Not afraid… of her. The turtle… Leonardo, her brother. It was him! Karai blinked. How could she forget him so easily? He was here. He was here. "Leo…." She hissed. He only gave a smile in return.

This act gave her what she needed to remember where she was and who else was here. She looked around. The other turtles… other brothers. Her family. They were here and wanted to help because they weren't afraid. Feeling relaxed. Karai looked at herself. She was in her snake form. How could they help her if she was being a threat to them? No, no. She couldn't think like that right now. She just had to relax. Karai morphed herself into her human form, falling to her knees.

Fillien was there by her side to catch her, letting the snake girl rest against the cat girl's left leg and shoulder as her hands clung on to the scruff of the cat's neck. "See, nothing to it," Fillien said. She noticed the gaping jaws of the four brothers. "Oh right…. you guys had no idea that was a thing."

"But how!?" Donnie almost yelled. "Shapeshifting between human and snake is impossible… unless something was wrong with the mutagen she fell into."

"That was my theory, too, but I don't know for sure."

Leo smiled seeing Karai was doing better. Her eyes were closed but her body wasn't rigid. She felt safe. "How did you know that would work?" Leo asked.

"Well, it wasn't easy. In the first couple of months we had to help her learn how to be a snake. Then we thought—"

"Months?" Leo cut in. Then it dawned on him as his widened before narrowing and pointing at Fillien accusingly. "Karai knows my number, you don't. Has she been with you since you called my T-phone for Donnie?"

Fillien's ears lowered to the side in shame but she answered, "I mean we just found each other after being separated… for a second time. But we've been together since before the invasion."

Leo threw his arms up before his hands rested on his head, exasperated. "I can't believe this," Leo almost yelled, angrily.

Fillien threw a wing over Karai as if to shield her from any load noise as she hissed, "Keep it down, would you? Last thing you want to do is tick her off." Then Fillien added slyly, "Or confuse her with the sudden drop in your voice there. What happened? Did you hit puberty again?"

Leo rolled his eyes, quickly explaining how he faired in his last fight with Shredder. Fillien instantly regreted the comment she made but Leo didn't seem to think anything of it. "But that's not the point here," He said, "You knew where Karai was even then and yet you didn't come and tell us?"

"She didn't want to be found. We needed time to find a way to keep her snake form from just going haywire and avoid hurting you on accident. We had to leave New York City to do it."

"And go to Africa?"

"That was for something different which I'll explain later. But it helped."

"To what extent?" Leo asked, this time almost mockingly.

A deep growl rose and Fillien's throat and said, "We were close to not coming back but be thankful we did because we did it for you. She wants to be reunited with you guys. We got back to New York thinking she had all her memories and mutation at bay. She has both but there but…" Fillien started to explain in detail how Karai's PTSD causes her to unwillingly transform into a vicious snake. "She can easily be both human and snake if she feels confident enough and remembers good moments. I kept telling her being around you guys would probably work. She was just worried that… it wouldn't."

Fillien felt movement below her wing. So she let her wing around Karai drop to reveal that the Kunoichi had her eyes open now. The green serpent eyes darting back and forth. When they looked up to Leo, she began to wonder. Fillien was right. She could really control her emotions around the turtles. It would give them a chance to help her. "Help me…" she said, her forked tongue popping out for a second. "Please…"

"Come back with us Karai," Leo insisted as he kneeled down and reached out to her.

She recoiled back more into Fillien's fur, hugging the cat girl tight. "No…" she began. She wanted them to help her but it wouldn't be safe for Splinter if she went back with them. "Too…. dangerous…." There had to be another way.

The turtles looked at each other. What could they do to help her if their options were limited? But before they could even start to think, a familiar gruff voice was heard from above. "I knew I smelled turtles."

Fillien and Karai had no time to react as Xever and Bradford jumped down from above all of a sudden. The fishman landing right next to Fillien and Bradford right next to Karai. Xever motioned to the turtles as he said, "Looks like they made our job easier."

Xever… Bradford… they were here. To avoid any stress from the memories they would brig, Karai looked at Fillien. The cat girl slowly standing up and wings becoming stiff. Ready for battle. Feeling the determination radiate off the cat. She then looked to Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey. They had already pulled out their weapons. Karai closed her eyes and concentrated. Now wasn't the time to let her emotions get to her. Her enemies were here and they were going to hurt the turtles. Not…. Happening.

She was in her snake form in an instant, jumping over Fillien and going after Xever with a swipe of her snake hands. Fillien ducked under Karai and then jumped towards Bradford with claws extended. Xever and Bradford narrowly avoided the attacks, the two Foot mutants stepping back before standing face to face with the girls. But it didn't seem they wanted to fight because instead, they held out something in their hands.

Xever used a large staff with an electric clamp at the end to reach out and grab Karai around the neck. Karai had never seen such a weapon, not reacting in time to get away. Xever pressed a button and electric shock went through the snake girl's body. Fillien heard her friend's hiss-like screech and looked back to see Karai fall to the ground, passed out. "NO!" Fillien yelled.

Getting distracted made it easier for Bradford to pull out his own electric clamp and have it catch Fillien by the neck. As soon as she felt like an idiot getting caught so easily, Fillien felt the electric shock throughout her body before she blacked out.

* * *

**A.N: Yay, a reunion… ruined… No one can catch a break one this show good lord XD. And yes, I did poke fun on Leo's voice change. Anyway, my uncle came on a surprise visit form Mexico so I gotta get going. See you all next week. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	28. Chapter 26

**A.N: So, very short chapter because A) My allergies are OverWORKed! And B) I'm going to need to put this story on a short hiatus because of a Netflix trainee program I want to enter in. So I need to work day and night on a storyboard to turn in. Safe to say, I'll be back with an update on the 13****th**** of March. **

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 26**

Karai felt throbbing pain all over her body when she woke up again, especially around her neck. But since it felt like it had been only a short time since Xever used that electric clamp on her, she immediately remembered everything that happened before the attack. So she knew waking up in a cage was not the best place to be at the moment. Karai sat up in her human form, looking around from beyond her confines.

She was in a wooden shack and by the smell of salt and the sound of seagulls outside the fogged windows, they were right on a harbor. The pictures of boats hanging on the walls and nets tossed around the ground were the only indication it was a docking bay for ships.

At the other end of the shack, there was a small office space with a table and chairs. On one side was Steranko who seemed to be taking some interest in the metal clamp he inspected in his hands. His friend the Mohawk man was, for whatever reason, looking inside a couple of crates staked to the right side of the room.

A low moan came from behind Karai. The kunoichi looked behind her to see Fillien in her own cage next to Karai's. The catgirl was getting up weekly, her eyes looking around to try and focus. It seemed she had forgotten the fight because she abruptly sat up but when she spotted Karai and then saw the two humans, she relaxed. Then she said in a huff, "Oh great, now we have to deal with more of Shredder's lackey's."

Karai giggled as the two said people had their heads raise up in surprise. Steranko's one good eye looked at Fillien and Karai menacingly before he twirled the staff and had the clamp end imbed into the wood of the table. "We not work for Shredder," he answered his Russian accent heavy with hatred.

The two girls looked at each other surprised. Not work for Shredder? And his tone did hint he was even angry at Shredder. So he was speaking the truth. So… "Then how did we get here?" Fillien asked.

Mohawk man left his search through crates and with a smirk went to lean against the table. He even raised his visor to reveal his eyes as he said, "I have my ways." So this man somehow swiped two mutants from under Xever and Bradford's noses.

Fillien and Karai once again looked at each other. This time, Karai smiled made her body move so that she was wiggling her body around. Fillien laughed and said towards the unknown man, "Yeah, does it involve dancing? We saw you earlier, twinkle toes." Karai giggled in response to Fillien's retort.

The one called out wasn't so happy. "The name is Anton Zeck," he said with a hiss as he stood straight and pointed to himself. "And after we hand you two over to Shredder, you better not forget."

At first, they didn't take much to the threat, but it did get Karai and Fillien's gears turning. "Turn in? The two?" Karai hissed in question.

Steranko explained, "Shredder wants you both. Karai for being his daughter and for the cat…. Dah…well we really don't know. All we know is you two are our only bargaining chip out of New York City."

The bargaining part made sense… to a degree. Shredder did have some connection to the Kraang, so they could leave if they gave him something good in return. That is if Shredder was the type to bargain with an ultimatum as big as Karai. Pride was too big for Shredder to lose.

But to have Fillien be a part of the bargaining was the bigger question. Fillien ultimately figured it was about the Creators. Shredder probably didn't know what happened to the set of four tanzanite rings. Their fate the same as Talbot at the bottom of a volcano. "Wait till he finds out I'm no longer useful. And the funny part will be he'll probably blame Xever and Bradford."

But as much as Fillien wanted to try and find something to joke about in this horrible bargain they were in, Karai was more worried about Fillien. She was also a target. Even if it was about a separate situation, Karai didn't want Fillien involved with Shredder. Doing her best to not remember the Shredder to keep from going nuts, Karai couldn't help but think that Shredder was her problem and not Fillien's.

They had to, "… get…out…" Karai hissed towards Fillien as Steranko and Anton started to talk among themselves.

That cat looked at Karai surprised and whispered back, "What?"

"Must… get out."

"How? And even if we do, where do we go? If we're at some harbor then we're too far from our Midtown hideout." Fillien stopped talking when Anton walked towards the cages and then to a door that was on the right side of the shed. It left Steranko alone to admire the staff again and made it harder for Fillien and Karai to speak without getting noticed.

Karai tried to think. What was close enough that they could get to. Especially a place that didn't involve running into so many Kraang. Karai's head shot up and she adjusted herself to stand on her knees. The ceiling didn't leave much room left but she was tall enough now to see what was outside. She could see the familiar skyline of Brooklyn.

That meant they were on some docks on the east side of the island facing east. If they could simply cross over…. "Comet." Karai hissed so that Steranko couldn't hear.

Fillien immediately knew what she meant. When the two girls reunited again they told each other what happened to themselves after they separated. Karai told Fillien how she ended up finding a place to hide on Coney Island. Next to a particular roller coaster. Fillien smirked and gave a quick nod.

But how were they going to plan an escape without Steranko hearing them? Well, there wouldn't have been time anyway because then Steranko's cellphone set off a small alarm. He looked at the message and looked out the window. "So, Shredder did come," he said. This made Fillien look at Karai worried and for Karai to shrink into the corner of her cage. What now?

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**A.N: And I gotta leave it there for now. Thought I'd leave you with the nostalgia of Karai and Fillien having a little fun with people, good times right? ahahah. And here comes Shredder…. Oooooooooh! See you in two weeks. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	29. Chapter 27

**A.N: YIKES! Sorry for saying the 13****th****, I did not think the Storyboard was going to take long to do. But I finished the submittion and with California's governer making it mandatory to stay inside, I have SOO much time to write. And on that note I hope all you lovely readers are doing well during the Covid Pandemic. Stay safe, healthy, and enjoy this chapter. **

**Kendramccormick: Thanks! Though, sorry for the lateness this time. Yes, I really hope I get into the program, thank you so much :)**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 27**

To say they felt lesser then animals was an understatement. Fillien and Karai were more than ready to rip one into Steranko when he managed to put the metal clamps around their necks again. Using the staffs attached to them, Steranko forced the girls out of the shed and into the open. Karai had been right. They were on a wharf along the East River. Looking behind them, the saw the skyline of Brooklyn just over the roof of the shed.

If they could just get out of this struggled hold Steranko had on them. Karai clamped her snake-head for hands on the metal clamp around her neck, trying to break free. She only stopped once she spotted up ahead, near different piles of large industry-grade crates, was Shredder. Fillien became defensive, lowering her head and growling at the metal man.

Karai, on the other hand, struggled harder to distract herself from memories that flashed before her eyes. Shredder towering over her as she kneeled before him. Waiting for whatever punishment came because of whatever mission she failed at. The site of Fillien getting smacked across the face. The lies that had spilled out of the metal man's mouth. The problems she caused because she believed every word he said.

No, no, no! Karai tried pulling on the restrains harder, even hissing out in anger. Going crazy could break her free, but it could also harm Fillien since the cat was close by. She didn't want to hurt anyone. She just didn't want to be near Shredder.

"You get us out of city safe," Steranko began as he forced Karai and Fillien to stop right next to Anton. "You get girls. That is deal."

Now she was being handed over to Shredder who was right in front of them. Her nightmares were coming true.

"I don't make deals," Shredder said as Bradford appeared over the top of a metal crate behind him. Xever jumped out of the river to the right of them and on to the cement walk they were on and stood in between the group and Shredder. "Bur perhaps this is worth the exception…" Shredder finished.

Fillien looked hastily around, trying to look at everything from a different angle. There had to be a way to get out of this, but everything was against them. They had no way of getting out of these shock collars and if they did, both sides of the bargain weren't going to let them slip away without a fight. What to do, what to do?

"Give me Karai and Ms. Lefevre, and I'll spare you—"

"Let them go!" Came a voice from above a higher tower of crates to the left. Karai stopped struggling and smiled, looking up to the source to see Leonardo on the top with his swords out in hand. "And I'll let all of you walk away alive!" As if on cue, his brothers jumped out from behind him, weapons ready.

Fillien gave a relieved sigh, "Oh thank goodness this is going to be easier then I thought."

Xever took the distraction as an advantage to jump into a fight against Anton. Sweeping one metal leg out and low, he missed the man with a Mohawk who jumped away in time to stand in the middle of the wooden half-bridge.

While those two fought, the Turtles had come down and attacked Shredder from all sides. Though it seemed, like usual, Shredder outmatched them, the Turtles did not fall easily as before. Karai noticed they remained standing even after a gruesome hit from the Shredder. They had gotten better at facing the Foot Clan's Leader.

If only she could say the same thing about Steranko's fighting. Even though he was getting pushed back and punched in the face by Bradford, the Russian man continued to have a grip on Karai and Fillien's staff end of the electric clamps. Fillien did her best to try and anchor them by turning around to face the man and planting her feet into the cement, claws extended.

She only managed to leave scratch marks as Steranko kept stumbling back making the staff move around in a jerking motion and forcing Fillien and Karai to stumble around looking like they had too much to drink. "Would you just… let go!" Fillien hissed. Bradford managed to grab Steranko in the face and then shove it back. The Russian man's face hit the wall of the shed flat out, almost hard enough to leave a dent.

When he faced Bradford, the dog man growled and said, "It's simple, give them to me. And the pain will stop."

"All our pain!" Fillien added even though she was still in the choking hold of the metal clamp.

Steranko hunched over in pain but didn't let up. Instead, he raised the staff holding Karai forward and maneuvering the one holding Fillien back so that she was forced to stand next to him. "Attack, vicious snake woman!" Being forced to fight Bradford head-on, Karai let out a fearful hiss and let her snake-heads for hands come after him in order to push him away.

"Coward," Bradford almost whispered towards Steranko.

"And rude!" Fillien yelled before she maneuvered her body so that her back faced Steranko and she could plant a firm back left foot right into his right toes. Steranko yelled and tried to kick Fillien into submission. She stepped forward to avoid it making him almost fall towards her with his grip on her clamp. Bradford tried to use the opening to slice Steranko in the face but the Russian man managed to get his balance back as he stood straight and forced Karai into Bradford's face more.

And it was like that for three rounds. Fillien getting Steranko to try and let go while he pushed Karai forward, making it hard for Bradford to attack without hurting the girls. Then all of a sudden, Bradford felt the air get knocked out of him from a kick to his back. The force pushing him into Steranko. It was enough to finally make the man let go of his hold on the staffs and enough force to get the two rolling into a ball before crashing into the side of the wooden shed.

Karai and Fillien struggled to gain breath as they slumped down to sit up against each other's side. It helped when the one who attacked Bradford, Leo, broke the metal clamps around the girl's necks. Fillien managed to stay sitting up but the sweet release made Karai almost fall forward, Leo there to catch her. As he held her head in his arms he said, "Karai you have to go, hurry, don't let them take you." He then looked to Fillien and said, "Go with her. Make sure she gets somewhere safe."

Fillien stood up, feeling freedom for the first time in what felt like hours as she gave her fur a shake and her wings a couple of flaps. Then she nodded and said, "Way ahead of you." Then she began to trot to the edge of the cement walk of the wharf. "Come on, Karai!" then she jumped into the air, beginning her path to Brooklyn.

Karai watched her before she moved her head away from Leo to look at the Brooklyn skyline. "Comet…" she began to say as she pointed East just over the shed. She didn't know if what she was doing was a good idea but she knew she could trust Leo with where to find her. "Comet…"

"Comet?" Leo asked.

Before any more could be said, she darted into the water. She hated to leave him with so little info, but with so little time and her mind still not allowing her to say things quick and full sentences, she could only give him a clue. Which isn't an entire loss. The turtles were smart. They'll figure it out.

As she swam the familiar route to Brooklyn's shores, she took extra care to hide where she could whenever that Kraang creatures with a long neck came to close. It was almost sundown when she finally got to Coney Island's wharf. She took extra precaution to look around before jumping onto and slithering her way through game booths and vacant rides. As she made her way the far end of the entire park, she heard flapping from above.

She looked up to see Fillien land gracefully next to her, giving her wings a ruffle before she rested them neatly at her side. "Sorry, had to avoid a Kraang ship or two." She looked around and said, "Wow… I feel like I'm in a horror movie. So many attractions and no kids to ride them. Perfect cover and best place to host a scary movie night."

Karai knew Fillien was trying to livin the mood after that whole ordeal. The snake girl didn't have the guts to say it wasn't working though. Instead, Karai shook her head with a smile on her face and continued towards the Comet Closer they were headed to. Fillien followed right behind her as they hurried past the giant roller-coster before going into the small building in the back.

"Nice digs," Fillien said as Karai showed her to the employee's lounge room. "Oh, I can definitely see this as a great stakeout."

Karai turned into her human form before sitting down on a beanbag though not all relaxed. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms as she said, "Leo's coming."

Fillien stopped to stand in front of her. "You told him to come here? Hm. Well better here than in the main city. Don't want to run into the Foot or Steranko and his friend again. The best way to help you is in a place like this." She motioned with her wings at their surroundings. Fillien then trotted over to tall cabinets lining one wall in rows

As the cat mange dot open a covert and began looking for snacks, Karai asked with a serious look on her face, "Still not know… why Shredder wants you."

Out of shock of the half-question, Fillien raised her head hitting the shelf above. She stepped away and rubbed the bump forming on the back of her skull as she answered, "Well like I said, it could be that he still thinks the Rings are still a thing."

Karai didn't seem at all convinced. She let herself sink more into the beanbag as her head hung low, chin buried in her chest. Fillien's ears fell to the side seeing Karai's reaction. She tried to play it off by perking her ears back up and looking back into the pantry again as she said, "It doesn't matter anyway. The turtles are going to come find us. They'll probably take us to their Lair for shelter while they find a way to turn you into a full human again. Shredder won't find us there. Or here for that matter."

Fillien found a bag of chips, grabbing it in her mouth and then walking back over to Karai and tossing it onto her lap. "Try and eat this. I'm going to find a place to relieve myself."

As Fillien walked out, Karai staired at the snack pack the cat gave her. No change in expression. Nothing but a neutral stare as her train of thought brought her to a single thought. How could she be so dumb?

To think things could somewhat go back to normal with the help of the turtles. So much went wrong. So much is wrong. So much can't happen. First, there was no way they could go to the Lair. Karai already insisted to Leo the best place to help her was to be far away from her father. She would only try to kill Splinter if she even looked at him. And everyone around her would probably get hurt if they tried and stop her.

Second, even if they could help her, there was no way Shredder wasn't going to eventually find the Lair. He had been searching for the turtle's hideout for over a year, with Tiger Claw almost coming close finding it. And just like back then, they would eventually find it because of her. No, she couldn't risk the turtle's only home that way.

And then there was Fillien now. Her friend was a target just like her. For whatever reason, it was still a mystery. Karai couldn't let her friend be captured. But Fillien would only be in more danger if she was around Karai. The snake girl in her fragile state was definitely the reason why the Foot Clan had been having an easy time tracking them down. If Fillien was with her when they found her again….

Karai grabbed the bag of chips in frustration and threw it across the room, the plastic hitting the floor with a small crunch. She wasn't hungry for it. She was hungry for more…. Lively things… Karai pushed the thought away she leaned over and buried her face in her hands, holding back tears. There was just now way. So what if Karai could be helped or not, it didn't matter. She was still a threat to everyone she cared about. Even indirectly.

There was a reason why she wanted Leo to find her. It was time to say goodbye. The turtles, Fillien, Splinter…. they would be better off…. If she wasn't with them…. She was a danger to them all.

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**A.N: I'm sorry of this is depressing especially with what's going on the world, but I can't avoid it. To move forward with the story, this is what I had to post today. Unless, like me, you REALLY love angst. So next would logically by Pig and Rhino so you know what that means… MOR ANGST! And more fighting! See you next week, for sure, I mean. I'm stuck at home so what else can I do? I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	30. Chapter 28

**A.N: HA! NOPE! I ain't gonna miss posting today! Even if it's late at night. But it's FRIDAY YEEEEEE!**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translate)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 28**

Having everything they needed in the employee lounge room, they barely left their hiding spot. With such an eventful afternoon, the girls slept well almost to the next day. While waiting for the turtles to find them, the girls tried to pass the time by seeing what they could do to pass the time. The girls managed to hack their way through the presets of a streaming service set in the lounge's TV.

So of course, on request since Fillien didn't have the fingers to do so, Karai put the Aristocats. "Oh here comes that musical number," Fillien said with a smile as she got up on her feet and began to trot in place. "Yep, I'm feeling that beat." Then she turned to look at her friend in her human form sitting with a distant look on the beanbag. "Come on, Karai, dance with me."

Karai shook her head, keeping it resting on the palm of her hand as she held her frown. "Not… dancer."

"Menteuse, (**Liar**)" Fillien said with a scuff. "Never forget you started on of many Foot Clan dance parties." Then, to try and get Karai to dance, Fillien mimicked the dance moves of the cats on the screen. "Everybody! Everybody—Come on Karai!- Everybody wants to be a cat!"

"Not cat," Karai tried to reason, now playing along as her tone sounded a bit more cheerful.

Fillien began to shuffle. "But who doesn't want to be, right?" Then she stopped with her back to Karai, only turning her head to give a smirk.

Karai finally had one of her own smirks cross her face. That cat got to her. Karai got up and the two began to dance. Karai just moving her hips and feet before waving her hands in the air. Fillien laughed as she moved her feet forward and back over and over again. Karai laughed as well. The two then looked at each other and laughed harder.

And for a moment, it felt like old times. At the Foot Clan hideout, putting on their monthly parties, with so many young adults and teenagers in their friend groups having the time of their lives. Fillien and Karai, were for once, in their own little world again. They wanted to enjoy this, and let this last for so long.

They stopped dancing once the song ended but both girls were breathless as they laid down on the furniture. Even when the movie ended they still felt the room get warm. So they walked outside for a breath of fresh air. "Started to get really stuffy in there," Fillien said, followed by a chuckled as she shook her fur and ruffled her feathers.

She then began to walk around the building, Karai following behind to see what she was up to. then the cat said, "Hey, I could go for a flight. Let's check out that lighthouse by the end of Long Island!" Almost like a puppy ready to play, Fillien's rear went up into the air as her tail flicked back and forth.

It amused Karai enough to make her giggle but she then waved the cat off and shook her head. "I will wait… for turtlesssss. You go."

"Oh yeah. I guess that makes sense," Fillien said standing straight again. "Ok, then I won't be gone long."

Karai watched her take off until she was a speck in the distance. That's when Karai frowned and let her snake form take over. She slithered around empty game booths and kiosks, her tongue going in and out as she tracked a familiar scent. She then caught sight of what she was looking for. A small rat tail was peaking out from under the tarp of one of the many elevated stages in the park.

Even though on instinct she kept her focus as she crept up on the little animal, Karai couldn't help but feel sad she had to lie to Fillien. But the snake girl didn't want her to be around. To see her like this. And Karai… was starving.

After catching a few rats, Karai thought it best to turn back to the stakeout next to the roller coaster. She looked back realizing she had gone too far so she made her way back, but when she got close she heard voices up ahead. Quickly she ducked behind a booth and peaked her head over the cashier stand. She had a view of the wooden walkway to the entrance of the Comet Coaster. Standing under the archway was Leonardo and Michelangelo.

Karai took a breath, telling herself not to panic. This was what she wanted. She wanted them here. All she had to do was walk out… or slither out, show herself, and—

Karai moved to the side, her snakeheads for hands sliding across the tabletop and knocking the cash register right off. It gave a loud clank as it hit the floor which caused the two turtles to turn their heads and face that direction. Karai was already booking it. Panic spiking.

Ok, Ok Karai wasn't as ready as she'd thought she'd be. As she slithered towards a spooky-themed funhouse, Karai could only wonder if Fillien being around would have made this easier. Where was she?

))))))))))))))) Lighthouse (((((((((((((((

With the sky clear that night, Fillien thought it would be a great view from the top of the lighthouse. And it was for a few moments. Fillien had rested on top of the rounded roof when she suddenly felt the breeze pick up. Huh? Fillien looked north, seeing some storm clouds rolling in. "What? Shouldn't they be coming from the east, from the ocean?"

Something didn't feel right. Fillien saw lightning, striking near Coney Island. Well if that wasn't a sign then Fillien didn't know what was. She stood up and immediately jumped off to fly back.

))))))))))))))) Coney Island (((((((((((((((

Leo just couldn't understand. Why was she running? Well, slithering. He and Mikey had followed her into the funhouse but as soon as they got to the mirror maze it was nothing but chaos. They were going in every direction but Karai would always use the reflections to misdirect them. Leo even waisted a canister of retro mutagen on a reflection. Leo already told Mikey t was all probably because she was scared. But still, why?

When they caught her escaping the funhouse, Leo and Mikey cut her off by blocking her way with the chain of Mikey's nunchuck. Karai hissed towards them. No recognition in her eyes. "Karai we want to help you, don't you remember us?" Leo tried to reason.

Of course she didn't, because all of a sudden she flung herself into Mikey. "Ah! Get her off, get her off! She's gonna eat me!" the young turtle yelled as Karai pinned him down flat on his shell.

"Karai, it's me!" Leo tried to get through to her memories. "It's us. It's me, Leo."

Karai perked up and looked back at him standing over her. There was a flash in her eyes. Then she moved off of Mikey and slithered away from them until her back hit the wooden wall of another booth. "Leo…" she hissed.

"We want to help you," Leo said as soon as Mikey stood up. They slowly walked up to her. She didn't cower but she kept her gaze away. She was still afraid. If they could make her feel comfortable. Maybe this wasn't the right form to be in at the moment. "Can you transform back?"

She didn't answer, all she did was finally look up at him with sad eyes. Karai was having a hard time staying human. She was losing herself to the snake mind. If only he hadn't wasted the retro-mutagen in the mirror maze.

All of a sudden, the sound of a car breaking through metal was heard from the back entrance of the park. Spooked by the sudden noise, Karai slithered away. "Karai!" Leo yelled with a hand out. Then he dropped it when a light grew behind him and his brothers. They looked to see headlights of a white van approaching. "Oh this just had to get harder" Leo muttered.

))))))))))))))) Above the Island (((((((((((((((

From high in the sky Fillien could see the big problem right away. Fillien dove low as fast as she could so that she would land behind the employee building without being spotted. She only peeked around to see through the white wooden bars of the coaster and spot a white van on the wooden path. But some of the wooden posts obstructed her view of those who came with the van. Were those mutants? They weren't the turtles' that's for sure.

"Turtles! Come out to play!" Came a familiar voice in a sing-songy tone.

"Anton?" Fillien whispered recognizing the former human. If he was mutant now, then the other one was probably Steranko. Something happened at the fight at the harbor probably for them to get mutated. Shredder had some mutagen handy. Where?

Fillien ducked back behind the building. So Anton called out for the turtles, which means they were here. Karai had to be out here as well. She had waited for them after all. So where did she go? Fillien decided to sneak around, crawling between empty booths and around attractions.

By then she had heard Steranko's voice along with Anton's and caught a glimpse of their mutant forms. Anton was obviously the bipedal pig wearing his purple suit and visor on. And Steranko was a bipedal rhino with cargo pants, a top, and bigger golden shoulder armor. And she could hear what they were bargaining for. It seemed like April O'Neil and Casey Jones had been caught and were being held hostage. In exchange to capture the turtles?

Weren't they after Karai?

When Michelangelo came out of nowhere and started to what sounded like stalling for time, Fillien had made it to a booth with water pistols. She was going to cross over to the other side of the wood platform when she spotted Leonardo was already there. Making his way to the white van as he also crawled between booths.

Suddenly, Fillien was pulled by scaly-like arms wrap around her waist. When she felt them pull her low behind the short wooden wall, she tried to struggle away. The arms only let go as soon as they made it so that Fillien was forced to turn and look at the owner. Fillien gasped for breath and saw Karai in her snake form curling herself up in the corner of the booth. "Karai, are you ok? Steranko and Anton didn't see you, did they?"

The snake girl shook her head, but she looked over to the white van and then the new mutants standing by with Michelangelo still getting their attention. Fillien nodded and said, "Yeah, Shredder must have gotten real angry that deal of there's didn't go through. But let the Turtles deal with them."

That's when things went bad. They noticed Anton go to Leo who had been picking the lock of the van to get their friends out. Michelangelo pushed him away but that gave the pig mutant room to pull out a canister of something. They heard Michelangelo yell that it was retro mutagen. This gave Fillien hope to which she looked to Karai for a smile. The snake girl just sank lower into her curl.

Fillien frowned and looked back up to see Leo try and stop Anton from using the retro mutagen on Michelangelo. Steranko easily pushed him into the wall of the funhouse. Fillien huffed. "We're never going to get the turtles to help us if their busy needing help themselves."

That's what got Karai to move. The snake girl slowly rose up and looked to Fillien determined. The two girls nodded with a smirk before looking to Steranko and Anton. Now the new mutants were fighting among themselves. "Let'sssss…. Take them…." Karai hissed.

"With pleasure."

* * *

**A.N: Time for the girls to kick more ass. A lot of filler here but I HAD to add that semtinemtal moment in the beginning because it may be a LONG while till we get another one. See you all next week for the end of the Beebop and Rocksteady episode… one end we've been dreading the most. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	31. Chapter 29

**A.N: Since I totally forgot to update last week (i got Animal Crossing, i'm so sorry folks XD ), i'd thought i'd make this chapter change POV every now and then. I think it's been a good while since we heard from the turtles right?**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 29**

"We need a better distraction," Leo said to Mikey as they watched Anton and Steranko, now dubbed by Mikey as Beebop and Rocksteady, fight between each other over a stolen can of retro-mutagen. Sure they could try and rescue their friends and brothers now but Shredder's new henchmen would see.

Well, just to his luck, they got a distraction. There was a loud roar and Leo and Mikey from their hiding spot between two snack shacks. They saw Fillien and Karai charging towards the pig and rhino. Karai slithered ahead, jumping in between the turtles and the new mutants. Beebop and Rocksteady stopped fighting and turned their heads to her just as the snake girl spit out some gooey venom.

A direct hit, it splattered all over Rocksteady's eyes. He yelled out as soon as he felt the stinging effect and on instinct put his hands over his eyes. He dropped the canister spray and ended up stepping on it too. Beebop stepped back, thankful he hadn't been a target until Karai started coming towards him. He raised a three-fingered hand and shot two purple shock beams towards her. She slithered around quickly, missing each one.

Rocksteady recovered quickly, managing to rub off the venom from his eyes before it could blind him. But that's when Fillien attacked. She jumped right into him, claws extended so that she landed on his shoulders and used her front paws to grip him from the back of the neck. Then she bit into the back of his skull. Now Rocksteady had to try and pry the cat off, doing his best try and get his horn to pierce her belly. No such luck.

Leo and Mikey stepped out of hiding, watching the two girls take on the two mutants. Mikey even raised a fisted hand and yelled, "Yeah! Go Karai! Go Fillien!"

Karai, feeling a little bit more empowered by Mikey's call, tried to switch things up and jump towards Beebop. She aimed high to come down low with jaws wide open. "AH!" he yelped every time she jumped for him, continuously doing his best to keep himself from getting bitten. But then decided to turn the tide. Putting on a brave face he started running towards her with his hands constantly shooting beams of light.

Karai was a bit surprised but decided to take advantage of it. She lured Beebop into the Funhouse. "Come here!" the pigman yelled as he chased after her. They disappeared into the attraction. "Get Back here, Snakey Snake!"

Fillien, on the other hand, decided to stay outside where she had the advantage. Fillien let go of Rocksteady and flew high. Then she swooped down low in an arc and scratch Rocksteady on the snout.

The rhino gave a roar of pain, stepping into position to face her as Fillien swooped back up in the air and came down for another hit. She maneuvered mid-flight to avoid a punch from him and nailed one of her own into his shoulder. As she flew back up again, she yelled out towards Leo, "What are you waiting for?!"

"Right, right!" he exclaimed, suddenly remembering what the problem was earlier. He and Mikey ran to the white van Beebop and Rocksteady came in. Opening the back doors, they found Donnie and April awake and wrapped up in Anton's glue-like ropes while Raph and Casey were coming to having been unconscious. "Leo!" April yelled.

Leo sighed in relief. Even though splitting up to find Karai ended up with everyone getting caught by the new mutants, they still remained unharmed. He helped cut his friends loose and then ushered them outside the van where Mikey had stayed watch. "What hit me?" Raph asked as he rubbed his head.

Remembering all too well how they got caught outside the movie theater, Casey answered, "It was that huge Rhino thing—RIGHT THERE!" Casey freaked out and pointed towards Rocksteady who was constantly getting hit from every angle by Fillien.

When the Rhino got a second to look in the turtle's direction, his eyes widened in realization. "Turtles? Free?" Steranko's blood began to boil. Nope, no way was he and Anton going back empty-handed. Shredder probably didn't want the turtles at the moment, but just because the metal man was his new boss didn't mean the rhino man didn't have his own priorities.

His black glass eye turned towards Fillien who was trying to get him from his blind spot. The back of his right shoulder. With his focus returned and his skill on point, Steranko reached out with a large hand extended to grab Fillien around the throat. The cat girl choked at the sudden catch as her body was forced to stop and then dangle over the ground.

She tried to flap her wings to get Steranko to let go. The rhino man quickly stopped her attempted escape by slamming her into the ground, back first and head hitting the concrete hard. She was stunned for a moment which gave Steranko time to lift her up and throw her into a stall on his left.

The turtles and their friends watched in horror as Fillien crashed into the wooden wall of the stall with splinters flying everywhere. "Hey! That's not nice!" Mikey yelled.

Steranko didn't care. He just planted his foot and leaned forward to give a mighty bull-like roar before charging horn first towards his enemy. Everyone hit the deck, moving left or right as Sternko plowed through empty air. The big mutant ended up getting his horn stuck into kiosk right by the van.

Donnie was the first to stand up beside Casey and April, looking first to where Fillien had been thrown into. From the hole in the wall of the stall, he could see her back feet sticking out telling him she was on the ground and not moving. This whole thing with Beebop and Rocksteady was getting out of control they had to end this now. Donnie's eyes turned to Leo who got up with Mikey and Raph. "What do we do, Leo?" He asked.

Leo didn't hesitate, "You three go after Karai in the Funhouse. Me, Raph, and Mikey will take Rocksteady."

Inside the stall that Fillien had been flung into, the cat girl was slowly waking up. Her throat hurt where she had been held and the pain in the back of her head felt like a migraine was starting. She didn't get up but did look out to the hole in the wall when a shadow poked in. "Fillien?" it said.

"Donnie?" Fillien almost gasped on recognizing the purple banded turtle's voice. She shook her head to get her baring but went right into asking. "Where's Karai?"

"In the funhouse still with Beebop. We're going in to help her, but are you ok?" Donnie asked with concern.

Fillien blinked when the shadow came into focus and she saw Donnie had Casey and April right behind him. She said, "I think so… at least I think I am. Unless Mikey didn't come up with Beebop as a mutant name and I'm hearing things now."

Donnie sighed in relief and stepped back from the hole. "Yeah, you're fine. Just stay put until you've fully recovered." then Donnie seemed to think before asking, "So why does Shredder want you?"

"Are you really asking that question now?" Fillien almost hissed, though more out of pain than anger.

April grabbed Donnie by the arm and said, "She's right, we got to help Karai."

If April hadn't grabbed him, Donnie would probably have persisted but he gave a small goofy smile and followed after April. Casey himself would have reacted to that little interaction but he was also distracted. He looked to Fillien who was slowly sitting up. When she noticed him staring, Fillien said, "Go on…"

He seemed to want to say something at first but then just decided to let it go and went after Donnie and April.

Inside the Funhouse, Karai had done the same thing she had with Mikey and Leo earlier and taken Anton through the mirror maze. Unlike the turtles though, the pig man's patience was very short. "Come out, scales! You can only hide for so long…" Anton yelled as he walked down along a corridor with one large mirror on either side of him.

That's when he heard a yell come from the previous room. Anton grumbled and said, "Got to get rid of these guys… again…"

From her hiding spot in some wooden beams supporting the ceiling, Karai poked out and looked down nervously as Anton left for the room with pop-ups. She maneuvered around so that she passed over the wall divider to look down and find Donatello, Casey, and April walk in, cautiously. What were they doing in here?

All of a sudden and invisible force hit Donnie and Casey and caused April to trip and fall. It followed with taunts and remarks from Anton who Karai couldn't find until she realized his suite gave him an invisible feature. Cheater. The snake girl's tongue stuck out several times as she quietly lowered herself down and slithers low to the floor. In the shadows, she herself could be invisible. And her tongue was her extra set of eyes.

She caught a strong scent going in Donnie's direction. The turtle was busy recovering from Anton's previous attack to suspect anything so it was Karai who jumped in to stop Anton. Casey and April watched as Karai got right behind where she knew Anton was and wrapped her tail around him. Then, with the strength to match Steranko's, Karai threw Anton into a couple of pop-ups before he crashed into a wall.

The invisible feature caused him to glitch in and out of sight of everyone so that they could see the pigman was laying upside down, back to the wall.

Donnie took his chance to say to Karai, "I owe you twice now. But you gotta get out of here. Fillien's outside."

Hearing her friend being mentioned concerned Karai. The snake girl nodded before slithering out, almost knocking into Casey who stepped back with a yelp. When Karai got out she looked around before spotting Fillien stumbling out of a hole in the wooden wall of a shed. Karai quickly went over to lend a hand by allowing the cat to lean on her side. "Thanks, you ok?"

Karai nodded before looking to the commotion coming from the roller coaster ahead. Mikey, Raph, and Leo had taken the fight against Steranko to the Comet. They used the rails and beams like a jungle gym and the cart itself as a weapon. "Clever…" Fillien said.

Suddenly from the wall of the funhouse, Anton burst through having been thrown into it from inside. He came to a full stop, covered in powder when his back hit the side of a gaming booth. This caused the girls to get spooked and make a break for another booth just on the other side of the wooden path. When they looked around the corner, Casey and Donnie were already back outside fighting Anton. April even got a few hits of her own with her tessan.

Fillien silently snickered and said, "Can you believe last year were fighting these guys… and they were so incompetent. Look at them now."

Karai nodded in agreement, smiling as she looked between the fight on the coaster and the one just in front of them. The turtles and their friends had really come a long way. Before a sad smile could appear though, Steranko getting hit by the coaster cart and getting sent flying distracted her. The two girls watched as he went high in the sky before he came down crashing right into his partner down below.

The impact immediately knocked them out. "Finally," Fillien hissed as she watched the turtles and their friends recover from the fight as they huddled up.

Then… "Karai! Come out! I know you're here. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

Hearing Leo yell made Karai cower behind the booth more, her head lowering to be eye level with Fillien. Fillien looked at her with determination. "I know it won't get rid of the trauma, but the retro-mutagen will turn you back into a human. Enough so that you won't harm them."

Karai looked away. She didn't have the heart to tell Fillien what was really on her mind. The only thing she could say… and what she was best at doing… was playing into a little white lie. "It's time…" Karai hissed.

"Yep, let's get this done," Fillien said happily a she turned around, not seeing the sad smile on Karai's face.

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**A.N: Sad stuff be coming, so hope you enjoyed the fight! Also added some more little moments and interactions to spice things up. If you will excuse me, now, i must tend to my cherry grove and catch butterflies ahahah. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	32. Chapter 30

**A.N: New Rise of the TMNT eps coming soon, BOY do I miss my flashy neon cowabunga children XD. **

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translation)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 30**

Whenever you've done everything in your power to try and make things right again, or somewhat better…. sometimes you can't change fate yourself.

"Karai…" Fillien said in an almost whisper.

Leo had used the last jar of retro-mutagen they had on Karai.

But nothing happened.

The spray just dissipated around Karai's snake form, the reptile-like eyes not daring look up to her friends. She had known what would happen, and even Donnie just said so. She was… special. Fillien had been so hopeful though, for Karai's fear of her snake side is what kept her for, getting close to her father. So….

"It was all for nothing?" Raph said angrily as he and his brothers stood behind Leo.

"It doesn't matter!" Leo said with a shake of his head as he walked up to Karai. Casey and April stood far back behind the group, seeing as this was about to get a bit personal. Leo continued, "You can come home with us, Karai. We'll take care of you. I promise."

Karai finally looked up at the blue-banded turtled when he got closer. Her fear rose for his safety and she slithered back a bit. She held up a hand snake head for a hand over her own head as if trying to keep back whatever instinct to attack could follow. "No…" she hissed. "To dangerousssss…." She may have control of her snake body but her snake mind would never let her rest. "My mind… isssss…. Going…."

She turned around to slither away towards the edge of the wooden platform they were on. There, she faced the ocean, thinking of what she had to do next.

Fillien, however, was making it a lot harder. "You've been through so much Karai," the cat began as she stepped past Leo and held her head high. "But you can't give up completely. There are still ways we can help you. You can still live your life…"

Karai stopped but didn't look back. She couldn't. It would make her final decision harder to go through. "Not worth… trouble… you have… your own life."

"Then why bring us here?" Leo asked confused. Fillien wondered the same. Karai had seemed so gung-ho to be with her family but now it's like she had completely changed her mind. Or worse, never changed her mind at all. Fillien began to panic. Something wasn't right.

Karai turned around to practically see the gears working in Fillien's head. And then pain. Utter, unrelenting pain with those feline eyes going wide as saucers. "I wanted... to sssssay… goodbye." She then looked at Leo and the turtles. "To all of you…" Now they were all saddened. Even April, who still held some resentment, felt sorry for Karai and was shocked to see what Karai was doing.

Fillien wasn't going to have it. No. No way. "Don't you dare…" she began angrily as tears started to form in her eyes. Or was that the rain from the impending storm finally descending?

The snake girl didn't get angry at Fillien, or huff annoyed. She expected Fillien to react this way. Fillien had done everything to try and help her. But with Shredder after them both, Karai was putting Fillien at risk of capture. Karai could fight her enemies again, but best let Fillien live her own life and not get into trouble. All Karai could do was turn around with a heavy heart and slither away. She jumped over the wooden railing and disappeared into the water below.

"Karai, no!" Leo yelled as Fillien followed him towards the edge of the platform. Both searched the water, seeing no trace of the snake girl.

Everyone looked down in grief, Mikey sniffling a little. They couldn't believe it. They had failed. Enough that Karai just… gave up. Surprisingly, Leo held a neutral expression on his face. He felt some hope lost, but he wasn't done yet. Karai had been lied to and almost broken her entire life. She deserved a happy ending. "We'll figure out a way to help you, Karai, I promise."

"Ella a promis" (**She promised)**.

Leo looked down at his left surprised, almost forgetting Fillien had been by his side. She had been so quiet that Leo barely heard what she had said. And then with a shout of anger Fillien stepped back and rammed her left shoulder into the wooden railing. As if she were trying to feel some other pain that wasn't one of betrayal.

Leo and the others watched concerned as some tears trailed down the cat's cheeks. She stood with her legs almost spread apart as if she were keeping herself from tipping over. Her muzzle curled in a snarl. "She promised… after I found her in the snow almost frozen she promised she would stop trying to run from help. MY help."

Before Leo could assure her that Karai was just lost, April cut in. "Guys. Beebop and Rocksteady are gone."

All eyes, except for Fillien, went to the overturned white van that the two new mutants had driven in earlier. There was no sign of the mutants themselves. Raph waved it off, "Ah, let 'em go. Next time I see them, they won't walk away."

Mikey would have cut in with his tagline but he was too depressed about Karai to even make a funny remark. "Come on guys, let's go home." The rain of the storm finally started to come down heavy. No one replied to Mikey. They all silently agreed. The turtles and their friends began to walk away to the exit of the theme park, but one turtle didn't move. Donnie watched as Fillien continued to stand by the wooden railing with her feet spread apart and head hung low. Her face wet with tears now mixing with rainwater.

The purple banded turtle walked up to her to get her attention. Only her eyes turned to him. Her face no longer twisted in anger. She was almost in shock now. Donnie wanted to as if she was ok, but she clearly wasn't. She seemed to be thinking about what to do next. Donnie did his best to assure her by saying, "You can come back with us, you know, so that you won't be alone."

Fillien didn't do anything at first and Donnie wondered if she even heard him through her own thoughts. But then her head lifted up as she stood straight. She struggled with it but still managed to hold determination in her eyes. Donnie sighed, "But you won't leave Karai alone, will you?"

Fillien gave a small smile, shaking her head to answer. Donnie nodded and said, "When you find her, take care of her for us. Will you?" Fillien nodded before immediately taking off into the air. Donnie was left feeling a little hopeful seeing how determined Fillien was. Even after her own friend told her goodbye forever. One would break so hard to hear such words, it surprised the turtle.

But he didn't know how Fillien really felt. She had flown all the way back to Manhatten, past the storm,, bawling her eyes out. She had held back in front of the turtles, but she could only hold back her emotions for so long. It was just so heartbreaking and so shocking. Not only had KArai lied about being hopeful the retro-mutagen would work, but that she had planned to leave even Fillien behind.

And lying wasn't even the biggest part. It was that Karai had just… left her. Karai was all Fillien had. Yes the turtles were open to her coming with them and she had her uncle, but Karai was the closest thing to a sibling she ever felt after her own brother's passing. After everything they've been through, how could Karai even think leaving Fillien was the best for the catgirl?

Fillien thought back to the snowstorm in upstate New York, were they sheltered with a human and a mutant colleague of his in his mansion. After Karai ran off thinking she would never be able to control her new abilities, Fillien had found her almost half-frozen in. When Karai was brought back to the warmth of the house, they had agreed Karai could only control her abilities if she could accept what she had become. Karai did, and she accepted Fillien's offer of her help. And now, that promise was broken.

What were those words Karai said? She wasn't worth the trouble? Fillien had her own life? But what did that mean? And why did it include tearing their friendship apart?

Fillien had been so deep in thought she hadn't noticed midflight something pricked her left wing. She began to feel numb there all of a sudden and she looked in time to see a tranquilizer dart before black spots filled her vision. The last thing she remembered was feeling herself falling out of the sky before she was lost in an endless void of darkness.

**))))))))))) Chinatown (((((((((( **

Only an hour later and Karai was on the hunt. She could have taken a moment to rest after her long swim from Long Island. But she was hungry. It was all she could think about. Karai frowned as she looked upon a small rat that was scuttling about in an ally. This was her new life now. Might as well succumb to it, right?

After all, her friends and family were safe. That's all that mattered. She found peace in that.

If only peace could last.

As soon as Karai jumped out and caught the rat in her snake head for hands, a large cage slammed down around her. She hissed as she found herself trapped by metal bars. She looked in the direction of her captures who slowly came into view from the shadows and into the light of a nearby lamp. It was Anton and Steranko. They towered over her cage as they smiled down on her in victory. "Can't slither away every time, scales," said Anton.

"You brought us trouble. Now we bring you trouble," Steranko added.

At first, Karai's snake-like instinct didn't give her much room to think about those words. She just hissed out of defense. But one ride in a white van later, she figured out what they meant. Karai gulped as she found her cage being dragged to the entrance of an old church. No, no, no, no…. Not this place. Not THIS place. Karai began to try and ram her body into the cage to try and get it open. Anton and Steranko barked commands to try and get her to stop but she wouldn't let up.

It was only until they dragged her cage into the Great Hall did she stop. Steranko and Anton stepped away from the cage to allow Karai to get a good view of her surroundings. She looked around, memories of fooling with Bradford and Xever in this place started to come back. She managed to smile for a mear second before memories of facing Splinter in her pursuit of false vengeance clouded her mind.

Karai tried to shake it off. Not her, no. She had to find a way out before-

Clank, clank, clank…. Came the sound of familiar metal armor. Karai's eyes trailed up as Shredder walked down from the pedestal and up to her cage. She didn't hear what words were exchanged between him and the new mutants in the room. All she could think of were the memories flashing before her eyes.

Seeing the metal armor made her body twitch as she thought of the constant verbal abuse and near threats she had gotten from Shredder. The pain she felt during intense training. Heartbreak in seeing her friend get hurt by him. Intense, pure anger when she found out the truth. About her mother. Her true father. EVERYTHING.

As Shredder walked up to her cage, she hissed at him. Not only on instinct as a snake but out of trauma and anger. "My daughter, do not fear," Shredder began. "I will soon cure you of this terrible affliction. Then, we can have our revenge."

That tone. Those words. It was enough to drive Karai mad. She hissed at him before beginning to ram herself into the cage again. Shredder did this to her. The only revenge Karai will have is on him. And most of all… she was not… his… DAUGHTER!

Anton and Steranko backed up as they watched Karai get in a frenzy. Shredder only narrowed his eyes. She wanted, she needed, to kill. Kill SHREDDER!

The Foot Clan leader yelled at Anton and Steranko, "Take her to Stockman's new lab."

They did so without question, dragging the cage as the metal scratched the floor. That, and the sound of Karai hissing ended when the doors slid shut. Shredder only had a moment's peace to think about his victory in getting Karai when a Mouser stepped up. The little mouse-like robot with two legs Stockman had created opened its mouth to project a small screen in front of the Shredder. On it was Tiger Claw. "Master, I bring you good news. I have successfully captured the cat girl."

Shredder almost smiled wickedly. This was turning out to be a good night. "Take her to Ulrich's lab. I'll question her first thing in the morning."

**)))))))))))))) Coney Island (((((((((((((**

For a long while, the only sound on the pier was the crashing waves along the wooden beams below the platform. The storm was letting up but only enough so that the rain didn't hit so hard. The water was still murky. Enough to hide whatever swam below. Then, out of the blue, a grey figure jumped out and seemed to soar high in the air before coming down and landing on the wooden platform.

There, stood Wimbi. He gave a shake of his fur even though it was useless to get any water off with the rain. Not that he cared. He loved the water. The wolf man looked around, in awe at what he saw. "So this is what they call… an amusement park. Poa (**Cool**)."

He then turned around to get on his hind legs so that his front paws rested on the wooden railing. He looked down into the waves and asked, "Are you sure this is where you last saw her? The cat with wings?"

Two bottlenose dolphins popped their heads out of the water, giving high pitch squeaks in response. Wimbi sighed in relief. "I'm very grateful to have bumped into you on my way here. I would have gotten lost. Asente. Safe travels.'' The dolphins gave one more shrill squeak before diving back down.

Wimbi stepped back and got low on all fours. His nose pressed to the floor, he began tracking the familiar scent of his beloved.

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**A.N: Well we had a feeling there would be a separation but BOY did it hurt to write this. At least our handsome wolf boy is coming! AH! I'm going to have a lot of fun with this. More soon. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	33. Chapter 31

**A.N: It was Catra loving hours today because the series finale of Shera dropped today whoops but better late than never. Friday as promised. I go on hiatus until the end of June after this chapter.**

**1freakshow: It's painful yes but you're right Wimbi is one the WAY!**

**I don't own TMNT**

**(Translate)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 31**

Thump

Thump

THUMP

"Would you zzzzzz-STOP?!"

….

Thump.

"Ugh…" Baxter grumbled as he flew around from one end of his new lab to the next. He stopped in the second level, the one with the mutagen tank hanging in the center. That level, behind one of the glass cages, was Karai. His new test subject, though he wouldn't say that out loud to Shredder.

Speaking of loud- THUMP

"If you keep- ZZZZ- Slamming yourself into the glass you're going to knock yourself out. I'm not taking that blame."

Karai, who had been trying to break free by ramming her body into the glass shield, stopped to look at him unamused. She had faint memories of Baxter. Some of them of her threatening his life in order for him to fix a technical problem. Which is why she also remembered he was the genius around here in terms of science. So Karai knew the minute she was put in one of many tanks in this new lab that she was going to be experimented on. For what?

She knew Shredder wanted her changed back. Though she doubted that was what Baxter wanted out of this. So when Baxter approached the glass, she hissed at him. He got spooked and flew back. Feeling victorious she smirked at him. Baxter then turned to fly away as he said, "I know you're still in there, Karai. That Zzzzz- Zmile says it all. It will be hard to get your body to change back to normal but your mind can definitely be put back together."

As he flew down to the level bellow where his equipment was, Karai slithered back, coiling herself around a makeshift tree they put in her cage. She looked around. It was as if she was a real snake kept in captivity at the zoo. Even the small little 'pond' they put in her hold felt fake. This and the thought of her 'mind being put together' made her feel somewhat better. Not for her. But for her family.

Especially Fillien. She was definitely glad now that Fillien hadn't been with her. It hurt to imagine her friend locked up in a cage like her… all because of her. Karai sighed. It had only been a day, but she hoped Fillien was adjusting well to a life not tied down to helping Karai. A life of freedom.

**))))))))))))) Secret Lab (((((((((((((**

Fillien woke up groggy, feeling like her head was spinning a mile a minute. The instant cold hit her body but as much as she felt her body wanted to tense up in reaction, it didn't. She was left questioning what was going on while shivering. She hoped to get an answer when opening her eyes but once she did, however, she just wanted to close them again. "Oh… not again…" she hissed in annoyance. Fillien was laying down on her left side, staring at the metal bars of a cage she was trapped in. "Oh, c'est juste parfait.** (Oh this is just perfect)**"

"C'est un laboratoire pratique. Donc je ne dirais pas parfait. **(It's a hand-med-down lab. So I wouldn't say perfect.**)"

Fillien's ears perked up and she tried to sit up as well, but once she did her body felt weak again and she ended up rolling on to her right side. Was she drugged? And who was that voice? She looked back at the metal bars and saw beyond that was where her cage was. "Baxter's lab?" she almost whispered as she looked at the familiar round-shaped room in the warehouse.

She could have sworn this place had burned to the ground the night Karai was mutated here. But the walls were up and the roof had no crack in sight. But that's all that was really left of the old lab. Now on one half of the room, the wall was covered in screens of all sizes. A long ironwork table was set below it with two keyboards. Sitting right in front of the table and typing away was a dark silhouette of a human man. "It's not his lab anymore."

The person stood up and pulled something from a long white lab coat he wore. With a little remote in hand, he turned on the lights in the lab to show what had been hiding in the shadows. The man himself wasn't much of a surprise to look at. Human with blond hair. Dark eyes behind a pair of reading glasses. He had a sincere smile on his face, but his eyes held something back. He stood behind a table that was between him and Fillien's cage. There were used syringes on the cold metal as well as flasks and beakers.

As the man took off his glasses and came around the table, Fillien asked, "So you must be working for Shredder if you know who Baxter is. But your accent. Vous venez du nor de la France. Ce ne peut pas être une coïncidence. Vous avez travaillé pour la Ligue. **(You're from northern France. That can't be a coincidence. You work for the League)" **For a second, Fillien got nervous that the League had joined under Shredder.

The mystery man lowered himself, knees bent, so that he was close to being eye level with the cat. Even though he was close enough, Fillien still couldn't tell his truth in his eyes. But she relaxed hearing the honesty in his toen as he spoke. "Je l'ai fait mais Shredder avait une meilleure position pour moi. Et Talbot est mort et la Ligue est dissoute tellement mieux ici que nulle part, non?" (**I did but Shredder had a better position for me. And Talbot is dead and the League is disbanded so better here than nowhere, right?)**

Fillien sighed, relieved her theory was proven wrong. But then she wondered... "Quelle est votre position ici alors? Le nouveau petit scientifique de Shredder?" **(What is your position here then? Shredder's new little scientist?) **Fillien added the last bit with a smirk.

"Quelque chose comme ca. Mais contrairement à Baxter, je me concentre sur votre mutation" **(Something like that. But unlike Baxter, my focus is all on you.)** All of a sudden his sincere smile slipped away to reveal the lust that had been in his eyes all along.

Fillien shivered, both in finally feeling the cold and this feeling of dread. Yes, he was definitely honest in his story. Too honest to the point she had almost fallen prey to relaxing around him. This man had a plan for her. And by the look he was giving her, Shredder didn't have to make this man do anything to Fillien. He wanted this all along. The rings, it had to be because of the rings. "Les anneaux Créateur sont détruits avec Talbot. Je ne suis plus bon pour vous les gars. **(The Creator rings are destroyed along with Talbot. I'm no good to you guys anymore.) ** And you can tell that to Shredder."

"Oh, Shredder already knows. And believe me, it took me ages to convince him of what happened to the rings. But he finally saw some sense once you came back to New York. Now he and I see eye to eye. True power comes from what already exists."

He stood up and with his little remote that turned on the lights made something move this time. From a hidden panel next to the work table, a smaller metal table rose up with a single canister of mutagen placed on it vertically. The man continued. "The odds of working with a mafia that ended up getting involved with a creature such as yourself are one in a million. And they said the janitor with a biology degree couldn't amount to anything and yet they walked into that mountain without my help."

Fillien got enough feeling to sit up permanently. Though her head hung a little lower than usual, she managed to look at the screens the man had been typing on earlier. Anatomical drawings and genetic diagrams were displayed. "You've been studying me since the League tracked me down to New York. Why? I don't know you."

"Your right, you don't. I'm Ulrich. And for a long time I've been fascinated by animals. Their potential, genetically. My ideas to create modifications in DNA so that they can become more than just pets or entertainment. Moles that could be big enough to make excavation for ancient artifacts easier. Bats who's sonar can be strengthened to the point they can find climbers trapped in an avalanche. Just to help people. But people don't want help for some reason, laugh me off as some. …" He had been pretty enthusiastic until he said those last words in such a glum tone.

Fillien raised her head up and looked through the bars of her cage. Ulrich had turned around once he stood up so Fillien could only guess what he was feeling. He had been shunned for his ideas. Fillien was starting to feel bad for him now.

But he bounced back real fast. "Well, it doesn't matter," He turned around but stepped to the side, next to another cage right by Fillien's but it was covered by a tarp. "My persistence paid off. There's a component out there created by aliens that can do just as I have only ever theorized. As much as I would like to learn more about it from the Kraang, this takeover has proven they can't completely be trusted. And seeing as how random the results of the mutagen can be…"

He lifted the tarp off the cage only slightly, but Fillien caught sight of what was below. It got the nerves that had been numb this whole time working again. In a flash, Fillien stood up and back up into the corner of her cage, looking away before she could throw up. Ulrich looked down somberly before he raised his head and replaced his sadness with anger. "I did not intend for this domestic cat to become mutilated during the process. It only took one small dose of mutagen for it too-" With a shake of his head, he cut himself off and let the tarp drop. He walked to the table and leaned over saying, "I can't let this stop me. Trial and error in science, right? But I need to go one step at a time."

Fillien managed to get the horrific sight she just witnessed before looking to Ulrich who walked around the table. She didn't know what to think of this guy. Ulrich kept leading her in different directions. He was honest about his intentions at one point and the next he's sadistic. Sad about an unhappy memory in his past and then stoic at the sight of a dead animal at his own hands. Once he got to the other side of the table and picked up a small flask, Ulrich finally finished with, "If I am to recreate your mutation, that is."

Fillien gasped so loud, it could have created an echo in the place. She noticed the small tube in his hand had dark red and thick liquid. "You took some of my blood while I was asleep… you want to clone me?"

"Cloning is one way, but in the end, that would require a…. Vessel… of a sort. It's easier to replicate the DNA sequence." Ulrich put the small glass tube where it had been before on a small stand. "And just like how Baxter accidentally dropped retro-mutagen into the tank your friend fell in…" Ulrich tapped the canister of mutagen right by the table. "That way there's more of a chance I'll get the mutation correctly if I just mix the DNA sequence right with the mutagen and give it to someone."

This was insane. She thought she could breathe knowing the league and the rings were far behind everyone, but now there was a new problem."More of my mutation? For what?"

"For me. It's a bit more personal. But Shredder requested an army, and iI got to hand it to him. It's not a bad idea."

Fillien's eyes darted around. Ulrich was not going to back down. He had his own goal, a goal he wouldn't let Fillien know. And of course. She forgot Shredder was involved, so this could only end badly. Fillien looked to the covered cage next to her and saw empty cages nearby. "Cela ne peut pas arriver." **(This can't be happening.)**

"Once I get more test subjects and the computer finishes running a scan of your DNA." Ulrich pressed the button on the remote to hide the mutagen below the trap door on the floor. "Then yes, it will officially start happening. Et je ne peux pas attendre les résultats** (And I can't wait for the results.)**"

**)))))))))))))) Lower Manhattan (((((((((((**

Wimbi had traversed almost the entire Island until he swam across the harbor to the main city. No sign of Fillien or her friend. "The city is… is a jungle… the Congo was easier to find something in than this."

Clinking metal brought him out of his thoughts. Inspecting the alley he had walked into, Wimbi didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Well, of what seemed ordinary in this city. Were rats supposed to scurrying around everywhere? Was the trash can supposed to be by a wall littered with… art of some kind? Did it have to smell so bad? Dar es Saleem was a city but it wasn't this crazy.

The clinking came again, this time Wimbi caught sight of movement in the large trash can. The lid was closed but when it suddenly popped open, it gave Wimbi such a scare that he jumped away, skidding a little on the cement ground before hiding behind a pile of cardboard on the other side of the alley. When he looked around the corner, Wimbi saw, coming out of the trashcan, was a dog. A domestic dog breed that Wimbi had never seen before. Orange and white with a curly tail.

"Um, excuse me?" Wimbi asked as he walked out of hiding. "Can I ask you for your help."

The dog jumped out and landed on the ground, looking at Wimbi with curious eyes and his tail wagging. "Thank you. I need help to search for a cat mutant with wings."

The dog stepped back, surprised at the request. But Wimbi could see in his eyes there was a sense of familiarity. The dog barked once before howling. Wimbi was shocked at first before he heard another howl in the distance. Then another, then another. "What, what is this?" The dog barked twice. "The… Worldwide…. Woof?" Wimbi repeated.

The dog jumped a little, happy Wimbi understood before a long low howl replied. The dog pricked his ears up before they laid back in fright. He then began to suddenly chuff and his feet going up and down in anticipation. Wimbi understood, "Someone had seen her? And she's in trouble?! Where is she?" The dog barked three times before pointing his nose in the direction the low howl came from. "Asente! Thank you, thank you!" And Wimbi took off.

He didn't realize that as he crossed a wide open street, a couple of Kraang that were on patrol saw Wimbi run by.

When the wolf man got to the source, a large dog with brown and white patches was waiting for him. "You're the one who saw her?" Wimbi asked. Without hesitation, the large dog pointed his nose to a large warehouse two blocks down. "Why is she in trouble?"

The dog braked before growling. Wimbi replied, "Hapana! **(No!)** An experiment…. So she was captured."

The big dog looked like he was going to answer before his ears went down in fear and he ran away barking. "Run… from… Kraang-" something purple whizzed past Wimbi's head and he jumped back. When he looked in the direction it came from, nightmares flashed before his eyes. Memories of being poked and prodded and in pain. The same creatures that mutated him as a child. He had completely forgotten that they had taken over this city. All he wanted to do was find Fillien- "Fillien…" he gasped back into reality.

Another barrage of blaster fire came after him but he turned tail. He didn't want to fight them. He just wanted to get to Fillien. Everything would be alright with Fillien. Wimbi didn't have a plan, but she hopes whoever captured Fillien would be distracted by the Kraang, because they followed him to the building.

* * *

**A.N: 3 different points of view before I deck out for the next few months. So we learn a little more about Ulrich's past, and yes, evil monologue, i know, i have my reason mwahahahah. And world wide woof is inspired by 101 Dalmation street, retconned off the movie but the best retcon, TBH. Also can you guess who the first dog is that Wimbi meets? Anyway, as I said in my GLTAs story i'm going on hiatus because there may be a chance i might be doing training under Netflix. Meaning i want to finish my GLTAS story so all i ahve to worry about when training starts is this story only. So i'll be back by the end of June, maybe early July. We'll see. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!**


	34. Update

Hey everyone, sorry again but we're going to have to go another week or so without an update. It's been rough and I've had to get another job to pay off loans and combined that with trying to amp my portfolio to get industry work it's just draining me. I have the next chapter outlined I just need to write it so I hope to be back next week but knowing the previous patterns I don't want to promise anything. But I will be back. Bless you readers who stuck with me this far and I hope when you get back here there will be something new for you to read. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!


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